Built in 1930 with the name of Nanking Theatre originally, Shanghai Concert Hall (SCH) has sustained a history of three fourth century's development. It was renamed Beijing Theater in 1950 and changed to SCH in 1959 for specially then being chosen for best formal concert stage.

The building, located on the central of downtown, is a typical classical architecture in a European style. Sixteen huge marble pillars are seen when audiences step into the lobby, and the front hall is deliberately ornamented with elegant patterns of slightly solemnized color, which is very much in harmony with the music played inside.

The acoustics are so good that many world-famous artists have been attracted to perform in this hall, including violinists maestro Isaac Stern, Salvatore Accardo, Pinchas Zukerman, Choliang Lin and cellists Yoyo Ma, Jian Wang; pianists Alieda de Larrocha, FU Chong, YING Chunzhong as well as the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra and many others have given high appraisals after giving their successful concerts here. Major orchestras in this city such as the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Broadcasting Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Opera, Shanghai Traditional Chinese Orchestra and Shanghai National Music Ensemble have chosen this hall for their regular concerts. Audiences could enjoy more than 200 concerts here annually before its reconstruction. In 2001-2002 season, 12 famous polish pianists from F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw came to Shanghai, holding Chopin Piano Collections (12 performances).

As one of the famous architectural and cultural heritages of Shanghai, government decided to relocate the building instead of demolishing it and building a new hall while taking City's Downtown Reconstruction Project. It has taken one year to hoist the landmark building 3.38 meters and move it to a new location over 66.4 meters southeast to its previous home since Sept. 2002. The removal plan, priced at 18.2 million USD, was the largest and most difficult building relocation project ever attempted in the country. From now on to its reopening in the end of 2004, SCH is under renovation and expanding, which includes enlarging stage, adding rooms and facilities, rebuilding lobbies on south and west sides. By then, the hall, surrounded with trees and grassland, will be the only building inside the Music Park.

Completed its renovation, SCH will hold over 1,200 seats, whose main performance area reaches 145.35 m2 (width 11.1m, length 13.1m) and elevated orchestra pit 29.74m2.