The almost century-old Huxi Cinema in downtown Shanghai has been closed for several months now, undergoing a redevelopment that will see it emerge as a new theater and studio dedicated to the music industry.

The cinema, established in 1926, is scheduled to reopen early next year. It will retain the name Huxi, which means "Shanghai's West" and refers to what are parts of today’s Putuo and Changning districts.

The more than 400 seats in the cinema's main screening room have been removed and work is under way on the main stage. The old-style movie house, at 19 Wanhangduhou Road in Putuo District, stands beside the Caojiadu Flower Market, which will also close soon under a district redevelopment plan.