Pulling the right strings

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By Hou Qingyang and Liu Jie (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-22 13:45

A saleswoman displays the Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf keyrings at a shop in Beijing. [Asianewsphoto]

It was June 1 - the day set aside specifically for children, but kids and parents looked disappointed at the ticket office of the castle-like China Puppet Theater in Beijing as they heard shows for Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf were sold out.

Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf, a Tom and Jerry-like cartoon, is now China's most popular original TV cartoon series whose story line is Big Big Wolf's perpetual quest to catch Pleasant Goat and his friends - which always fails.

Twenty puppet shows over the three-day May holiday were seen by an audience of 12,000 with box office revenues hitting 1.92 million yuan ($280,896).

Combined expenditures on Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf-themed products totaled 2.08 million yuan from May 1 to 3. Overall theater revenues over the holiday hit 2.2 billion yuan, 20 times that in the same period of time of 2006

The show has been so successful that the 636-seat Puppet Theater will open another venue, in Shijingshan, a new urban recreation center in the capital, which will be ready in time for this summer's school holiday, said Zhao Yongzhuang, general manager of the theater.

Outside Beijing, more shows created by the nation's No 1 puppet art performers are also underway.

In Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, The Monkey King, a puppet musical and dance show designed for both children and parents, has had great success, with seats full for nearly all performances. It is the first time the 6-million-yuan extravaganza was presented outside Beijing after it was unveiled on April 25.

Zhao told China Business Weekly that The Monkey King will next travel to Taiwan and South Korea. In all, 100 performances are scheduled outside Beijing.

The China Puppet Theater did not have such lofty ambitions before September 2006, when the former government-supported work unit - with a history of more than 50 years - became an independent joint venture.

Zhao's Beijing Yongzhuang Culture and Media Co Ltd has a 51 percent stake in the new enterprise with the Beijing Cultural Establishments Management Center. The partnership followed the decision by the central government to require market-oriented reform of State-owned cultural units to encourage self-sustaining operations, meet increasing and diverse market demands, and ease the fiscal burden on the government.

Zhao Yongzhuang, 53 is a successful property developer who found on a snowy day in Beijing in 2005 that there was no indoor all-function recreation center in the capital city for children.

"The market was there, so I rushed to find the right project," recalled the savvy businesswoman.

The government's policy provided an opportunity. The two-story China Puppet Theater covering 6,000 sq m on the north third ring road of Beijing is blessed with a convenient location, parking and facilities.

Yet "government support is also very important for a business", said the private entrepreneur.

She saw the Puppet Theater as a business combining art and property management.

First she encouraged the troupe to renovate its traditional programs and design products in keeping with the current multimedia era and the tastes of today's kids. An example is The Monkey King.

Millions of yuan have been invested to create "you-are-there" scenery in the main performance hall using multimedia technologies. The infant Monkey King breaks out of a rock and comes to life on stage amid thunder and lightning. Fog generated onstage requires audiences in the front rows to wear raincoats. Interaction between actors and children excites the young audience.

The large show was performed 199 times between May 1 of 2008 and 2009, generating box office receipts of 10.28 million yuan, with the top sales hitting 110,000 yuan for a single performance.

In the theater's smaller puppet studio, well-known fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood and Three Little Pigs are put on in both Chinese and English, helping children learn English in a pleasant and fun environment.

A total of 11 bilingual dramas have been offered since early 2007 that contributed 4.09 million yuan to the box office of the theater. Daily ticket sales generate 12,000 yuan compared to 1,100 yuan prior to reform and restructuring.

Zhao also selects tenants carefully. The Puppet Theater only rent outs space to shops catering to kids and families, like the restaurant Big Pizza, education institute Pop English Learning Center and Kids Photo Studios. A puppet castle costing 12 million yuan was opened in 2008.

The theater is now a large indoor children's theme park centered around puppet shows where children can also play games, learn, meet friends and find a range of creations designed for kids.

At the beginning of reform, Zhao issued a 50-page handbook to employees detailing job responsibilities, work procedures, management disciplines and corporate culture. A merit system was devised and employee salaries are directly linked to their performance.

Artistes now account for 72 percent of the staff, marketing for 12 percent, technicians for 13 percent and administration 3 percent.

No artistes have been laid off since the troupe was reformed, salaries have increased by 40 percent and more staff has been recruited as the business grows.

From September 2006 to the end of 2008, the theater's sales revenue totaled 52 million yuan and profits reached 24 million yuan. Net assets have grown by 48 percent under the joint venture.

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