Renewed partnership to drive growth of Guangzhou Opera House

An agreement on the 2025–2035 operation of the Guangzhou Opera House has been reached, followed by a seminar held in Guangzhou on Monday to map out the venue's next stage of development. The renewed partnership builds on years of collaboration between national and local cultural bodies, paving the way for the theater's continued growth and innovation.

Guo Liqun, general manager of China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd, described the partnership with five words "gratitude, appreciation, professionalism, humility, and progress." He said CAEG would continue leveraging its strength as the nation's "cultural exchange main force" to promote high-quality development of the opera house in alignment with Guangzhou's broader cultural strategy.

Under the new agreement, the two sides will launch a development plan, focusing on upgrading signature events like the Guangzhou Arts Season, fostering original IP projects, applying digital technologies to enhance operations, and strengthening cultural cooperation in the Greater Bay Area.

The new phase will help the theatre become a world-class cultural center and an important window for international cultural exchange, further enhancing Guangzhou's cultural soft power, said Liu Yumei, head of Guangzhou Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism.

Over the past 15 years, the theatre has grown from an architectural landmark into a vibrant cultural hub, hosting more than 4,000 performances by 2,100 troupes and 50,000 artists from around the world. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Ballet of China have performed on its stage, alongside productions including Turandot, The Phantom of the Opera, and local originals like Marco Polo, and Awakening Lion, bringing world-class performances closer to Guangzhou audiences.

It also places strong emphasis on arts education and public outreach, having hosted over 3,200 free events for more than 150 million participants online and offline. It has nurtured nearly 26,000 young talents through children's choirs and ballet troupes, while its single-ticket sales rate has risen to over 70 percent, with membership exceeding one million — a model of successful market-based theater management in China.