Update on Lebanon’s Massive Opera House Project

Eight years after it was first proposed, Lebanon’s long-awaited opera house is finally moving forward, and it’s bringing a major new library along with it.

Initially announced in 2017, the project began when the Sultanate of Oman offered to fund a cultural center in Lebanon. The Ministry of Culture later requested that the project be transformed into a national opera house, with a projected cost between $50–$70 million.

Now in 2025, that vision is finally becoming reality. China has pledged $60 million to fund the construction of a large-scale opera house and central library in Dbayeh.

According to journalist Uptin Saiidi, the opera house is being “designed to rival European standards.” It’s seen as part of China’s broader cultural diplomacy in the region.

This marks China’s second major cultural investment in Lebanon. Back in 2019, it granted $35 million for the construction of a National Conservatory of Music, also in Dbayeh. Spearheaded by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC), the conservatory will span 27,000m².

This cultural complex could represent a rare moment of progress in Lebanon’s struggling public infrastructure, if it’s executed as promised.

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