New theaters raising the bar for quality acts

Wu says it is not enough to just build the buildings, providing the shell so to speak, yet not give the organizations running the halls any substantial budget to work with.

"They might be able to pay the basics, upkeep the electricity and some personnel, but they don't really have any means to put on quality shows," he says.

He says that the Chinese government spends a lot of money on the cultural front, but it could be spent better, on better-quality programs.

The buildings are there, but there is no infrastructure there to carry out the plans. The performing arts centers do not have adequate financial resources to fill the halls with shows. In Europe, the local or state governments give a substantial subsidy. In the United States almost all the financial resources come from private sources.

But in China, there is little communal or state support and even less private support for programming. This is partly because corporations and individuals lack the incentive to donate or sponsor performances. There are no tax incentives in China to support cultural projects - in fact, culture is only taxed in China and many countries in Africa, most other countries have some sort of tax break to support the arts, Wu says.

Wang Hongming, general manager of W Squared Entertainment, a promoter and producer of musical theater shows based in Shanghai, makes similar complaints about the lack of government support and the heavy taxing system in China. For example, the ticketing channel alone is faced with an up to 20 per cent taxation rate, she says.

Shanghai has been holding a performing arts fair during the annual Shanghai China International Arts Festival (SCIAF) since it was launched 15 years ago. This year for the first time, Wanda, one of China's largest real estate companies held a pavilion at the fair.

Wanda is China's largest landlord of hotel chains and builder of Wanda Square commercial complexes in many cities of China. It is only in the past two years that it has turned its attention to the field of arts and entertainment. Last year, Wanda acquired AMC, the world's second largest cinema line in the US.

Wanda has planned a top-notch live theater show for its mega-estate development project in downtown Wuhan, capital city of Hubei province.