From my experience travelling across China, it’s hard to escape the impression that most theatres care little for grassroots ticket buyers.
Some of my worst encounters have happened not inside theatres, but just outside them. At one venue in central Beijing, I repeatedly struggled to collect tickets left by friends. Tight security regulations barred any handover between people inside and outside the checkpoint, and staff showed little interest in helping resolve the issue.
In Shenzhen, only recently, I found myself unable to retrieve a ticket left for me in an automated locker at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. The eight-digit code I had been given failed to open the box — it turned out a six-digit code was required instead.
Shanghai’s theatres have long been notorious for making life difficult for concert-goers during rainstorms. At Bund 31, security staff denied my entry without an immediate ticket in hand. I had to wait outside with no shelter in rain for my ticket to be handed over. At the Shanghai Oriental Art Centre (SHOAC), audiences used to queue for up to half an hour to check in umbrellas, and sometimes up to an hour to reclaim them after performances. Following a public complaint, the venue eventually installed umbrella racks to ease the burden.
While many theatres now market themselves as "the city's living room", the reality often falls short. Audiences seldom know who manages these venues. Theatre leadership remains largely anonymous, remote, and unapproachable.
This is what made my recent trip to Kunshan, Suzhou, stand out. There, I met Zhu Yizhang, general manager of the Zhoushi Culture & Arts Centre, operated by Dafeng Theatres. Before running his first theatre, Mr Zhu was a tenor, choral master, seasoned tour guide, and opera producer — a man who genuinely listens to audiences and has both the ability and the determination to respond to their needs.
This video presents the first half of a wide-ranging interview with Zhu, exploring his music education in Palermo, career path, professional aspirations, and philosophy on theatre management.
The interview is conducted in Mandarin without surtitles.
