In 2023, the emphasis on building the "City of Performing Arts" was highlighted for the first time in the government work report, unleashing new vitality in the performing arts economy. High-quality foreign productions made a comeback, with Beijing actively showcasing its image as the capital of a great nation and the charm of Chinese culture. The performing arts sector witnessed a continuous emergence of outstanding works, contributing to a healthy and orderly development of the performing arts ecosystem, and significantly enhancing the city's position as the national cultural center. Cultural workers across the city diligently studied and implemented Xi Jinping's Thoughts on Culture, especially the essential principles outlined by General Secretary Xi Jinping regarding literary and artistic work. Immersed in artistic creation, their remarkable achievements have made the cultural and artistic landscape even more vibrant and diverse.
Burgeoning vitality in the performing arts market
In 2023, the performing arts market in Beijing experienced a robust recovery, hosting a total of 49,524 commercial performances. The audience attendance reached 11.385 million, generating a box office revenue of 2.304 billion yuan. Compared to 2019, there was a growth of 117.0% in the number of performances, 9.5% in audience attendance, and 32.1% in box office revenue. In comparison to 2022, there was an even more substantial increase, with a growth of 143.8% in the number of performances, 204.1% in audience attendance, and an impressive 266.0% in box office revenue, reaching historic highs.
Various types of artistic performances thrived on the stages of the capital in 2023. Performances in music, drama, dance, and other genres showed a doubling growth in the number of shows, audience attendance, and box office revenue compared to 2022. Stand-up comedy performances exceeded 14,000 shows, representing the highest proportion of performances. Both dramas and crosstalks had over 5,000 performances each, with plays becoming the most popular genre in professional theater performances. Concerts demonstrated a flourishing development trend, achieving the highest box office revenue. Since the first concert in late March, there was an average of concerts every week throughout the year, attracting a large number of cross-city audience members. This influx of spectators stimulated a comprehensive increase in peripheral consumption, including tourism, transportation, accommodation, and catering, showcasing the positive impact of the performing arts on the overall local economy.
The performing arts market in Beijing is witnessing a thriving trend with a balanced supply and demand, driven by high-level offerings, quality services, and premium content, leading to an expansion and elevation of cultural consumption. Of the nearly 50,000 performances throughout the year, 92% were organized by local groups in Beijing. These local performances included notable productions such as "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting". In addition to local performances, over 300 international performing arts institutions held more than 1,000 shows, featuring renowned world-class groups like the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. The lineup also included popular works such as musicals "Romeo and Juliet" and "Titanic." This diverse array of performances contributed to the cultural richness and global appeal of Beijing's performing arts scene.
Continuous emergence of outstanding masterpieces
In 2023, Beijing showcased over 150 new creative works with more than 2,000 performances. Central government-sponsored arts troupes presented adapted literary works such as the dance drama "Dream of the Red Chamber" and Peking opera "Protagonist." National Center for the Performing Arts and other related institutions jointly introduced 30 new productions and restaged 43 pieces. These included creations like the historical drama "Beiping 1948." Traditional Chinese culture was also prominently featured in productions like Peking opera "Qi Baishi," and historical dramas such as "Zhang Juzheng" delved into the ethnic civilization and was injected with contemporary aesthetics. Private art groups contributed to the cultural landscape with musicals like " The Age of Awakening," actively promoting Beijing as a stage for the debut performances of outstanding works from both domestic and international creators
Quality productions from outside Beijing once again graced the capital's stages in 2023. French dramas "Waiting for Godot," Russian musical "Demon Ogneniy," and American dance drama " The First and The Future " were among several works that chose Beijing as the first stop for their domestic tours. Renowned figure skater Plushenko, along with multiple figure skating champions and ballet dancers, presented a series of ice shows including "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker" at the National Indoor Stadium, marking the start of their Asian premiere with 10 performances, further solidifying Beijing's status as the "City of Performing Arts" with a continued and influential presence in the cultural landscape.
Distinctive characteristics of performing arts brands
In 2023, the " Grand Performances in Beijing" showcase season underwent upgrades and set off once again. Over a hundred outstanding plays and films were presented both online and offline, with a total viewership exceeding 38 million. The 7th Chinese Opera Culture Week featured theater troupes from across the country leveraging the gardens and landscapes of various regional pavilions in the Expo Park to showcase the distinctive features of different regional theatrical genres. The 25th/26th Beijing Music Festival was organized biennially for the first time, introducing a variety of avant-garde and cross-disciplinary performances to the stage. The festival aimed to create a better musical world for the audience through pure and hardcore musical experiences. The "Dual Olympic City" Stage Arts Performance Season featured 26 productions with 105 shows, highlighting Beijing's extraordinary journey and unique charm as the " Dual Olympic City" from an artistic perspective. The "Story in Beijing," a small theater performance exhibition held for over a decade, continued to showcase excellence, presenting 22 outstanding productions in 44 shows throughout the city.
Beijing's performing arts institutions are actively collaborating on a national scale. The China Oriental Performing Arts Group performed the musical "The City of Stars." Beijing Performing&Arts Group and Shanghai Cultural Square Theater collaborated to produce the Chinese version of the musical "The Count of Monte Cristo." Entertainment companies like Mahua FunAge and Star Theater have established branches across the country, achieving a nationwide network. The local Beijing brand, the "Strawberry Music Festival," held events in 20 cities nationwide within a year, showcasing the city's cultural influence on a broader scale.
Diverse development of performing arts spaces
In 2023, over 300 performing arts spaces conducted commercial performances in Beijing. The sub-center Beijing Performing Arts Center, commenced operations, joining forces with the National Center for the Performing Arts and the Taihu Stage Art Center to establish a new development pattern known as the "One Theater, Three Locations". The National Center for the Performing Arts, with a total construction area exceeding 400,000 square meters, 11 theaters, and over 13,000 seats, became the world's largest theater complex under a single city and operating entity. The Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center hosted nearly 1,000 performances throughout the year in 2023, achieving a total box office revenue of 160 million yuan, both of which set new records. It has become one of the few theaters in the country with annual box office revenue exceeding one billion yuan. The two largest theater chains in the country, Poly Theater chain and China Performing Arts Agency (CPAA) Theater chain, continued their expansion efforts. In 2023, they incorporated the Beijing Comedy Theater and Zhuhai Jinwan Art Center into their networks, bringing the total number of managed venues to nearly 200. With an annual operational performance count exceeding ten thousand, these theater chains are disseminating their expertise in professional theater management and high-level artistic performances across the country.
In 2023, various innovative formats, including small theaters and new performing arts spaces, integrated to create a diverse landscape in the performing arts industry. The total number of performances exceeded 40,000 for the year. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism started nurturing and supporting performing arts spaces. The first batch of 15 incubation projects was launched, including Star Theater and the immersive performing arts new space "Flower World" by Mahua FunAge. The Jixiang Theatre, inheriting the century-old tradition of Peking opera, infused traditional cultural performances with new vitality, promoting the integration of performing arts with commerce and tourism. After fourteen years of development, Star Theater has become a core brand in the "small and medium-sized theater chain," featuring nearly 60 original drama IPs, an annual average of over 1,300 performances, and a cumulative audience of approximately six million people. The immersive panoramic production "True Detective Zhao Gane" premiered in 77 theaters, becoming a phenomenon in the 2023 Beijing performing arts market. It continued its residency in Beijing with 125 performances, achieving an average attendance rate of 98%. During its national tour, it received enthusiastic responses with additional performances in cities such as Nanjing and Tianjin. In the districts of Dongcheng, Chaoyang, and Xicheng, initiatives were undertaken to pilot new performing arts spaces. A total of 25 spaces, including Pigment Guesthouse, Time Theater, and Oriental Art Space, were inaugurated. The diversity and potential of these new performing arts spaces are gradually unfolding, bringing forth new performing arts scenes, content, and cultural consumption experiences.
Translator: TANG Yuxin
Reviewer: BAI Jing
