Construction work has started on the Samoa Arts and Culture Center with funding from the municipality of Huizhou in China's Guangdong Province.
According to the Samoa government press office, the center is part of the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.
It will house the National Orchestra, the Samoa Language Commission, National Archives and Records as well as the cultural division of the Ministry.
The Centre will contain a performance area, spaces for visual and creative arts including handcraft demonstrations, a cultural exhibitions area, a library and archives, a theatre, film and sound and office spaces.
While the idea of the centre has been discussed since 1980, it wasn't until 2015 when the Chinese government expressed interest in funding the project, that it got off the ground.
While cost of the project has not been disclosed, it is expected to be completed in two years.