$16m grants help to create arts hub

Dubbed the "Hollywood of Wuxi", a former steel mill is converted into a base for creative industry.

Government cash and cheap tickets mean Wuxi's theater thrives as those in other cities stand empty

Wuxi's dramatic transformation is not limited to the economy but extends to many areas.

As its population becomes increasing sophisticated, local officials are seeking to offer more than just opportunities to start businesses. Also on offer is a life of cultural richness.

The culture industry receives up to 100 million yuan ($16 million) a year in financial support from the city government, according to Wang Guozhong, chief of Wuxi's publicity office.

The funding has been available since 2011 and is used to support creative activities and theater shows.

Wang said the city government was considering issuing a cultural credit card that will allow users to enjoy discounts in bookstores, museums and other cultural and artistic venues.

"All creative enterprises located in the city have access to the subsidies," he said. "If they give those companies a leg up in their development, as we hope, then more creative business will be attracted to Wuxi."

Establishing more creative and cultural ventures will help the city in the run-up to the next stage of its economic development, said Wang.

"There are now close to 100 publicly listed companies in our city - but none, so far, is in the creative or cultural industry. We hope that with help from the government, we can have a change in our business environment so that some leading arts companies find the city ideal for branching out their operations.

"We believe Wuxi can also produce leading artistic companies."

Wang said the local government gives theaters and companies ample subsidies for script development based on the number of performances that are staged.

"We used to give the subsidies before the writing of the script, but later we learned that some groups and theatrers considered their mission had been accomplished once they received the money.

"Therefore, we changed our strategy by giving subsidies in accordance with the number of times performances are put onstage."

Tickets for shows, including operas, dramas and concerts, cost about 50 yuan, an affordable rate for a city where per capita GDP exceeds $20,000.

"Unlike many other Chinese cities, whose theaters stand vacant most of the time, the Wuxi Theater, the city's main performing art center, has been put to full use," said Wang. "Every year it stages about 180 shows.

"The theater is only worthwhile if local residents can afford the tickets and enjoy the shows."

However, Wang said Wuxi's creative and cultural industries still have a long way to go to catch up with the level set by more advanced sections of the economy.

In 2011 the output of the city's creative and cultural industries accounted for only 2.7 percent of total GDP.

Yang Fuliang, another publicity official, said the local government has been investing heavily in the creative and cultural industries since 2007, when the city government decided to embark on an economic transformation.

Sufficient funds have been provided, he said, adding: "Capital is not a problem for companies that are serious about their business."

Wuxi clay figurines are popular with tourists.