Provincial capital's creative culture sector sings a sweet tune

Chengdu in Sichuan province is building itself into a national cultural creativity center and world-famous cultural city, according to local officials.

As an ancient city rich in cultural heritage with its history dating back more than 2,300 years, Chengdu is making full use of its historical assets to develop major cultural projects and enhance the provincial capital's cultural creative industry, officials said.

"I hold an optimistic outlook for Chengdu's new economic growth, especially the growth in the cultural creative industry," said Wu Xiaobo, a Sichuan-based financial writer.

The total market revenue of Sichuan's music industry exceeded 32 billion yuan ($5 billion) for the first time in 2017, according to the local government.

Chengdu is pursuing a new momentum to foster the development of its cultural creative industry. That includes the plans for the Chengdu Music Fun district, one of city's most significant music projects, which made their debut at the end of March.

The district under construction will involve a total investment of 2 billion yuan and cover 1.2 square kilometers. It will prioritize five dominant sectors - incubating original music, the production and sales of musical instruments, music education, performance management, and the promotion of music culture and copyright protection.

The epicenter of the Chengdu Music Fun district will be the Urban Concert Hall of Chengdu, which is designed to comprise a concert hall, opera hall, drama hall and function hall and has 3,600 seats in total.

The Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Sichuan University and other colleges and universities are supporting the district by offering music teaching and mentoring for talented musicians.

By 2022, the Chengdu Music Fun district is expected to create 22,000 new jobs and generate 30 billion yuan in production value as well as more than 3 billion yuan in tax revenue, according to the local government.

To improve its cultural inclusiveness, Chengdu is offering performing places and qualifications to the city's street performers. During the three-day May Day holiday from April 29 to May 1.

A total of 47 buskers were granted certificates for permission to perform at the designated sites such as Chengdu International Finance Square, Kuanzhai Alley and Eastern Suburb Memory.

"This is just the beginning," said a staff member of the Chengdu Culture Center, which is in charge of selecting the street performers. "We are about to provide more buskers with professional training, music studios and incubation programs in the near future. It's the inclusiveness of Chengdu that attracts more and more cultural companies and talents to the city," the official added.

The International Port of Talent Cultivation in Sichuan, a project initiated by the Wuhou district government, Beijing Film Academy and Chengdu Xingshengliliang Science and Technology, is another of the city's efforts to attract cultural businesses.

The international port, which will open on May 26, has already signed contracts with 36 companies and over 10 celebrities.

They include Bian Liunian, the music director of the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games, musicians Sun Nan and Zang Tianshuo, and actress Guan Xiaotong.

With a total investment of 120 million yuan and covering 20,000 square meters, the International Port of Talent Cultivation in Sichuan will comprise the headquarters of large cultural enterprises, incubators for small and medium-sized cultural businesses and industrial parks of creativity and entrepreneurship, as well as culture and arts training centers.

"In the coming years, the international port is scheduled to bring in more than three listed cultural companies and 30 to 50 maker teams and incubate eight to 10 venture capital projects," said Bao Qiang, general manager of Chengdu Xingshengliliang Science and Technology.

"It will establish 300 to 500 project development teams, focusing on research and development of music, movies and their derivatives."

Financial writer Wu said: "People in Chengdu adore and strive for a high-quality life, which injects inexhaustible creativity into this city.

"The next unicorn company - startups valued at more than $1 billion - in Chengdu will more likely rise from the cultural creative industry."

zhangdandan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/18/2018 page6)