Shanghai Revisited: Chinese Theatre and the Forces of the Market

Abstract

Summer 1993 in Shanghai, China's biggest city and cultural center: I had not been there in four years, since I left for America. I must say, I was impressed by the newly built high-rises and the vibrant appearance of the business districts, but when I opened a newspaper all I saw were ads for Hong Kong films, Taiwan pop stars, night clubs, and of course karaoke. No theatre. When I walked by theatres I knew full well nothing theatrical was happening. Box offices were empty, posters advertised everything but theatre, entrances led to clothing stores, fast food shops, expensive cafes, discos, and karaokes. Theatres have set up businesses like these on their premises. Auditoriums were used for nontheatre events: no rehearsals, no artists. Call them at home, the receptionists suggested, because they never come here. What happened? Almost all of China's theatre companies are in a financial crises. state-supported Beijing People's Art Theatre (BPAT), China's top-rated modern company, cannot operate the way they did even in the midI980s. Even with a large subsidy, they need at least one million yuan ($I70,000) more a year in order to operate. A program called Who Can Give a Hand to the Beijing People's Art Theatre? was broadcast nationally on TV. program informed the public that the serious arts are in chaos. Due to inflation, company members cannot live on their pay. Xu Fan, a young BPAT actress complained that her month's earnings were gone in two days. However, BPAT has been rescued, at least temporarily, by a large mineral water company. Another TV program showed how even China's top Central Symphony Orchestra has had difficulty maintaining their instruments, while their concert and rehearsal halls continue to deteriorate rapidly. If top organizations such as BPAT and the Central Symphony were in trouble, what could the rest hope for? A saying among theatre people goes, The more performances we put on, the more money we lose; the fewer performances, the less we