The culture industry receives up to 100 million yuan ($16 million) a year in financial support fromthe city government, according to Wang Guozhong, chief of Wuxi's publicity office.

The funding has been available since 2011 and is used to support creative activities and theater shows.

Wang said the city government was considering issuing a cultural credit card that will allow users to enjoy discounts in bookstores, museums and other cultural and artistic venues.

"All creative enterprises located in the city have access to the subsidies," he said."If they give those companies a leg up in their development, as we hope, then more creative business will be attracted to Wuxi."

Establishing more creative and cultural ventures will help the city in therun-up to the next stage of its economic development, said Wang.

"There are now close to 100 publicly listed companies in our city - butnone, so far, is in the creative or cultural industry. We hope that with helpfrom the government, we can have a change in our business environmentso that some leading arts companies find the city ideal for branching out their operations.

"We believe Wuxi can also produce leading artistic companies."

Wang said the local government gives theaters and companies amplesubsidies for script development based on the number of performances that are staged.

"We used to give the subsidies before the writing of the script, but laterwe learned that some groups and theatrers considered their mission hadbeen accomplished once they received the money.

"Therefore, we changed our strategy by giving subsidies in accordancewith the number of times performances are put on stage."

Tickets for shows, including operas, dramas and concerts, cost about 50yuan, an affordable rate for a city where per capita GDP exceeds $20,000.

"Unlike many other Chinese cities, whose theaters stand vacant most ofthe time, the Wuxi Theater, the city's main performing art center, hasbeen put to full use," said Wang. "Every year it stages about 180 shows.

"The theater is only worthwhile if local residents can afford the tickets and enjoy the shows."

However, Wang said Wuxi's creative and cultural industries still have a long way to go to catch upwith the level set by more advanced sections of the economy.

In 2011 the output of the city's creative and cultural industries accounted for only 2.7 percent oftotal GDP.

Yang Fuliang, another publicity official, said the local government has been investing heavily inthe creative and cultural industries since 2007, when the city government decided to embark onan economic transformation.

Sufficient funds have been provided, he said, adding:"Capital is not a problem for companiesthat are serious about their business."