Booming business for culture firms

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Musicals, cartoon plays, new media technology and Chinese language teaching programs, these are just a part of many fields that the Song Lei International Culture and Creative Group has been involved in.

The privately-run group, recognized as one of the country's role model cultural enterprises, has over the years built up a thorough network connecting the many key parts of the country's cultural industry.

The newly built Songlei Theater, located in downtown Beijing, is about to open to the public early next year. Two original musicals, created by the Songlei troupe, are scheduled to be the opening programs.

The theater is an affiliated asset of the Songlei International Culture and Creative Group, established seven years ago. Thanks to the strong support from the central government, enterprises like the Songlei Group have over the years grown bigger and better, accumulating experiences in collaborating with their peers as it promotes the country's cultural industry.

Zeng Qingrong, CEO of the Songlei Group, says the policy support from the country has encouraged her to go further into the field of musicals.

Zeng Qingrong said, "We think that the domestic market for musicals is not yet mature, but we believe that opportunities will be abundant in the near future. So we are willing to be the bellwether."

Soon came their first attempt - an original musical called "Butterfly." But it wasn't easy. It took Zeng two years to train the performers she recruited from around the country. And the cultural gap between the Chinese performers and the international production team that Zeng invited also added to the difficulty.

But eventually all efforts paid off. "Butterfly" was put on stage in 2007, and became an overnight sensation. The success in the domestic market paved the way for the show's march onto the global stage. Over the following three years, the show was performed more than 2-hundred times both in China and around the world, receiving a total of more than 170-thousand spectators.

Li Dun, producer of musical "Butterfly", said, "It is in 'Butterfly' that I begin to see hope, a hope that the big era of Chinese original musicals is about to come."

The huge success brought by "Butterfly" enhanced Zeng's confidence in broadening her cultural enterprise. In 2006 the Songlei Group turned its gaze to the animation industry. A number of original cartoon productions were produced by the company, many of which were recognized globally.

Over the past seven years, the Songlei Group has dabbled in various fields including musicals, cartoon productions, internet portals and cutting-edge technologies. The firm has successfully made a name for itself by establishing its own cultural brand, and is honored as one of the top 100 high growth enterprises in the country's creative industries.