Nanjing blends culture, business and tourism in its theatre revival

The Purpose
By building and upgrading 100 theatre spaces, the city’s government seeks to enhance its cultural offerings and attract a diverse audience.

The Challenge
Nanjing aims to strengthen its cultural landscape by creating and renovating not-for-profit studio theatre spaces across the city. The objective is to build a stronger theatre brand, encourage cultural integration, and promote the synergy of culture, business and tourism.

By building and upgrading 100 theatre spaces, the city’s government seeks to enhance its cultural offerings and attract a diverse audience.

The Solution
The initiative, organized by the Literature and Art Division within the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee, includes four subtypes of theatre spaces tailored to specific audiences:

1. Nanjing Traditional Opera: These spaces include ‘plum blossom drama corners’ and traditional stages in streets and lanes of the city, which have been upgraded to “modern studio theatres.”
2. Nanjing’s Urban Culture: Some studio theatres present Nanjing’s urban culture and program material with a distinctive regional theme.
3. Popular Culture and Tourism: Some theatres focus on popular culture and tourism, driven by market demand and social trends, often based on intangible cultural heritage at scenic spots.
4. High-quality Performances: These venues are designed for high-quality performances, and include reconstructed and newly-built theatres.

The Impact
This initiative draws together partners from across Nanjing, with the City government leading the planning and promotion, universities contributing their cultural resources, and cultural businesses running the theatres. The result is a comprehensive showcase of the diverse types of performances Nanjing has to offer, each with its unique characteristics but strengthened by the umbrella brand to achieve high-impact publicity.

Source: World Cities Culture Report 2022

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