Beijing's Great Hall of the People is set to become the Great Hall of Pop when it stages its first ever pop concerts in August.

Five artists are set to rock China's premier political venue, which is better known for hosting the annual meeting of the National People's Congress.

Taiwan singers Richie Jen and Huang Pinyuan will launch the Great Hall's pop music debut on August 11, followed by Taiwan's Jeff Chang on August 13, Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam Yiklin on the 15th and local singer and song writer Xu Wei on the 17th.

Jen and Huang were full of enthusiasm for the venue, which sits on the edge of Tian'anmen Square, and have been taking photos in the building.

"It has always been a dream of mine to visit the Great Hall of the People. I would never have expected that I would be holding a concert here," said Jeff Chang, famous for his trademark high-pitched voice.

The hall, with a capacity seating of 6,000, offered a new experience for the audience, according to the organizer, the China Performance Art Agency (CPAA).

The Great Hall of the People has hosted concerts in the past, but they mostly fall into the category of highbrow art or well-known foreign musicals such as Cats, Chicago and Casablanca, which all played there last year.

However, pop concerts, with their elaborate stage designs and the performers' easy interaction with the audience, are likely to test its popularity as a venue.

The organizer has won approval from the administrative bureau of the Great Hall of the People for the audience to bring fluorescent sticks and other accessories to cheer along their idols.

Stadium concerts in Beijing were suspended after Taiwan singer Chow Wah Kin's gig in the Capital Stadium on March 31 so the city could renovate its stadiums in time for the 2008 Olympics.

Other venues, such as the Beijing Exhibition Center where U.S. hip-hop quartet Black Eyed Peas played to a sell-out crowd last week, cannot accommodate the large crowds attracted to the big names of pop.

"Small capacity venues make it hard for agencies to make a profit," music critic Ke'er Qinfu was quoted as saying by the Beijing Youth Daily.

He said the 6,000-seat capacity of the Great Hall was ideal for pop concerts, and the August acts would hopefully set a trend.

(Xinhua News Agency July 24, 2006)