Live shows in demand
Young Chinese are driving the country’s performing arts industry, Chen Meiling reports.
Young Chinese are showing interest in the performing arts — theater, drama, dance, music, to name a few. Live entertainment is in demand as the country’s youth are more willing to pay for it than the previous generations, experts say.
The total revenue of this market in China, including from the ticketing, sponsorships, derivative products and business sites, was over 27.07 billion yuan ($3.83 billion) in 2018, up 3.47 percent yearon-year, according to a recent report released by the China Association of Performing Arts, based on data from cultural authorities, major theaters and ticketing companies.
More than 60 percent of consumers of performing arts are from the post-1990 generation, while 15 percent are from those born after 1995. The average expense per consumer per deal was about 1,200 yuan, far more than that in sports, film and other culture-related consumption, the report says.
“When per capita income in China rises, more young people can afford to watch a performance. They are also well educated at school, which helps with their appreciation of the arts,” says Yan Yugang, an associate professor at the Communication University of China. “Besides, more new theaters and stadiums were built to provide spaces for such events.”
Tang Yuqing, 19, a college student in Beijing, says she watches ballet, drama or musicals about five times a month. Each ticket costs her from 100 to 300 yuan. Her favorites include French musical
Mozart-L’opera Rock and the play adapted from Eileen Chang’s novel The Golden Cangue.
“Watching live performances gives a more immersive experience than TV or the internet. Observing the details of onstage performances is fun. And it makes me feel relaxed by becoming part of the audience atmosphere,” she says, adding that she thinks it’s a waste not to visit a theater when Beijing provides much more resources than her hometown.
Tang also says part of the reason for students like her who enjoy shows is that they have more free time and are yet to shoulder the pressures of life.
Wu Di, 22, who studies anthropology in London, says she now watches musicals about twice a month. Each ticket costs about 20 to 30 pounds ($24 to $36) on discount. At first she used to follow actors or scripts that she liked when selecting plays. Now, her interest has grown and she has watched nearly 20 plays in the city, including Les Miserables, The Phantom Of the Opera and Notre-Dame de Paris.
“It’s kind of local life to watch live performances, when over 100 plays will be performed every night,” she says. “The songs are pleasing to
hear. The stage is beautifully decorated. The stories convey something good about humanity. It’s also a social activity for me and my friends to watch and discuss together.”
She says she often gets information through advertisements on the subway and Sina Weibo.
According to the report, in 2017, males were about 39 percent of the audience. Its proportion grew 5 percentage points last year.
Song Yuran, 24, an animation designer in Beijing, spent two weeks in London last year to watch plays, with tickets costing about 8,000 yuan. One of the plays, Hamilton, inspired him. “The body moves and eye contact between the actors and the audience, as well as the emotions aroused at the theater, were unforgettable.”
He adds: “At another play, an actress was singing alone onstage. At the crux of that song, a beam of light came across her and hit the audience.” He plans to go again next year. In September, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, released a document to promote consumption. It encouraged more cultural products and services with a balance of prudential regulation and market access. The central government also invested 1.5 billion yuan in State-owned cultural enterprises last year, an increase of 25 percent than 2017.
Government subsidies were also given to support the production and promotion of domestic plays and the development of performance venues, as well as to boost consumption with reduced prices or discount coupons. The report says the business potential of culture and entertainment has grown alongside 528 million Chinese born between 1980 and 2009.
The development of Chinese performing arts was promoted with the reform and opening-up. At first, State-owned institutions dominated the market, and then more private companies were encouraged to join. By now, the country has about 10,000 performing groups, about 10,000 brokerage firms and 1,800 professional theaters, whose number is growing every year, according to Pan Yan, secretarygeneral of the China Association of Performing Arts.
However, the number of highquality products is limited compared with more developed markets, she says.
“Good products should meet artistic standards and have market value. Stories that reflect real life can resonate with the public.
“Producers should go deep into people’s daily lives and study the preferences of target audiences before beginning work on a production. The themes and the patterns of performances should also be diversified and innovative to meet growing demand.
“All categories in the performing arts segment have shown much space to grow, which can be driven by good plays that are well made and widely accepted by the audience. Good products can form a successful franchise, which can generate further profit,” she says.
The ballet Never Closed Radio, for example, which tells the story of how some Chinese heroes contributed to the country at wartime, moved many people due to its production quality, she adds. Besides plays about heroes, stories that reflect the grassroots can also touch the hearts of the audience if told in a proper way.
Yan from the Communication University of China says the quantity and quality of performing arts products has seen a significant improvement in recent years as a number of private companies have sprung up and State-owned teams have begun to innovate. However, the market still has many products of poor quality.
He says the integration of performance, and online literature, games and films will be a future trend. More high technology will also be introduced to enhance the stage effects.
A former employee of Damai, a major online ticketing platform, who only gives his surname Ge, says when advanced technology such as 5G and virtual reality are applied to performing arts, more will be attracted and the revenue will increase. He suggests related companies and institutions strengthen brand awareness and improve content quality, as well as enhance cooperation between tourism and cultural services providers.
The China Association of Performing Arts, for example, is building a new branch to link venues and performing groups with travel agencies and tourist spots, Pan says.
Producers should go deep into people’s daily lives and study the preferences of target audiences before beginning work on a production.” Pan Yan, secretary-general, China Association of Performing Arts