In recent years, the Shanghai Grand Theater has become the major venue for international cultural exchanges.  A large number of world-class outstanding artistic organizations, artists and plays or operas have given their performances here such as the three major tenor singers in the world, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra of Austria, the “Swan Lake” performed by the Ballet Ensemble of Russian Malinsky Theater, the “Aida” performed by the Florence Opera House of Italy, the “Faust” performed by the Paris Opera House of France, the “Wandering Hollander” performed by the Rhine Opera House of Germany and the Broadway classical musicals “Song of Music” and the “Phantom of the Opera”.  In 2004, the Ministry of Culture named the Shanghai Grand Theater the “Demonstration Base of National Cultural Industry”.  The number of showings given in the three theaters, the main theater, the medium-sized theater and the small theater, totaled 694 performances and an audience of 610,000 in 2004 and 673 performances with an audience of 600,000 in 2005.