Putting the art into the heart

Changfeng Ocean World is a top draw in Shanghai. [Photo / Provided to China Daily]

Diversified entertainment products gaining traction with urbanites

Higher income levels and more leisure time among urban dwellers are spawning a growing demand for art and entertainment activities in China.

Although diversified art and entertainment products have long been an established industry in developed nations, it is the resurgent demand as a result of the rapid urbanization in China that is now proving to be an irresistible draw for Western companies.

"Urbanization is one of the key factors that is driving entertainment market growth in China," says Jackson Wong, senior manager of KPMG China's technology, media and telecommunications practice.

"There has been a lot of real estate growth in China, but many of these new developments lack content and theme. Building entertainment venues around these developments will automatically help attract more people."

In the live performance sector, many globally renowned companies have already staged shows in China.

They include the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which has been performed in London continuously since 1952.

In 2010, the play went to Shanghai for a two-week performance through a partnership between The Mousetrap Production Ltd and Shanghai Modern Theater Co.

It achieved immediate success and, since then, the Shanghai Modern Theater Co has produced the play in Chinese for a season each year, with its British partner's help.

"They knew of the popularity of Agatha Christie's work in China and believed, correctly, that it would be popular in China," says Stephen Waley-Cohen, who has been the show's producer since 1994.

Apart from The Mousetrap, Chinese urban residents have enjoyed many live performances from overseas, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra the London Symphony Orchestra and musicals including Mamma Mia, Cats and Notre Dame de Paris.

The value of China's performance market last year reached 60.3 billion yuan ($9.83 billion), a rise of 60 percent from 2011, the Ministry of Culture says.

Two other rapidly growing entertainment industries in China are film and TV. China's box office revenues reached $2.7 billion last year, a 36 percent year-on-year increase. This made China the world's second-largest film market just behind the United States and the world's third-largest filmmaker, the Motion Picture Association says.

Yang Shuting, a senior analyst at entertainment industry consultancy EntGroup Consulting in Beijing, says China's TV and film industries provide great opportunities for foreign companies whose creative content and production expertise are well liked by the Chinese audience.

"Chinese audiences' demand for imported TV series has become a consistent trend over the years, but recently the market for imported variety shows has rapidly expanded, reflecting domestic variety shows' inability to satisfy demand," Yang says.

"At the same time, China's protection of intellectual property rights for TV programs is strengthening, creating assurances for foreign TV companies in this trade. International TV programs are increasingly pursuing global expansion strategies now - and China is certainly a good market."