各國藝術家都面臨資金問題，中國的與眾不同之處是什麼？一個字：“變”。隨着中國從計劃經濟轉向市場經濟，它不僅把政府經營的工廠變成私人企業，也轉變了由政府經營的劇場和表演團體，徹底改變了藝術的資金來源。2006年及“十一五”計劃以來，政府系統性地削減了對文藝團體和演出場所的資助，鼓勵它們依靠市場。

然而挑戰在於，並不存在一個收入多樣化的成熟市場可資依賴。沒有獨立的基金組織，只有很少量的政府基金在支持表演藝術，公司贊助十分有限，個人捐助者少之又少，場館和藝術節過度依賴門票的銷售。結果是，眾多藝術場館和藝術節只對它們認為對現成觀眾有吸引力的作品趨之若鶩，而不願為默默無聞的藝術家和藝術形式承擔資金風險。所以在中國，保守的安排往往不是來自政府的審查，而是來自某種束手束腳的底線。

場館和藝術節的演出嚴重依賴外國政府給外國藝術家來華巡演提供贊助。隨着中國在世界舞台的重要性日益增加，許多外國文化部一直樂意承擔本國舞蹈、戲劇和樂團在中國巡演的費用。這方面美國是例外，美國沒有文化部，與歐洲、亞洲和澳大利亞同行相比，美國派到中國的表演藝術團體要少得多。

直到2013年，北京享有盛譽的國家大劇院才迎來第一個美國劇團。當時我的公司乒乓策劃（Ping Pong Productions）帶着洛杉磯劇院在中國六個城市巡演。美國團體開展這樣的巡演必須靠自己籌款，因為當地劇場給的演出費通常負擔不起開支。

2014年和2016年，我們策划了奧斯卡獎得主蒂姆·羅賓斯和他的“演員班”劇團的中國巡演，在北京和上海為坐滿劇院的觀眾演出。2014年11月，我們策划了馬克·莫里斯舞蹈團的第二次中國巡演。為了這些巡演的費用，這兩家團體都不得不在本國國內大量籌款。

儘管外國團體在中國巡演面臨相當大的資金困難，但實際上中國自己的當代表演團體要面對更大的挑戰，因為它涉及到經濟上的生存。政府雖然減少了對國家供養的大型團體的支持，但它同時在為較小型獨立團體開發可供選擇的融資機制。

2009年以來，乒乓策劃組織了中國獨立舞蹈和戲劇團體的國際巡迴演出，其中包括現代舞團體“陶身體劇場”和戲劇導演王翀。我們在五大洲的50多個國家巡演，並為在瑞典、英國、新加坡、澳大利亞、韓國等國藝術節和場館表演的藝術家提供創作新品的委約資金擔保。

這些巡演和委約作品創作不只是為了名利，它們也是生存的需要。在中國，獨立公司對贊助的選擇餘地很小，當地主辦方因為在他們的劇場演出，還經常向中國藝術家收取5萬美元以上的高額租賃費。

儘管有的時候資金很困難，但近年來的新形勢是，這種情況正得到解決，中國正在培育一個更健康、更多樣化的藝術生態。

2012年，中國歷史最久、規模最大的由政府主辦的演藝行業大聚會——上海國際藝術節推出了“扶持青年藝術家計劃”，委約年輕有為的舞蹈、戲劇、音樂和多媒體獨立表演藝術家創作新作品。該計劃如今已經進入第五年，它為年輕藝術家每年10月在上海國際藝術節表演提供贊助和演出的機會。

雖然中國文化部還不具備贊助機制，為中國境內獨立藝術家和藝術團體提供運作經費，但文化部贊助了這些團體去國外巡演的旅行費用。許多國際性藝術節對邀請中國藝術家參加猶豫不決，因為它需要高昂的出行和託運支出，所以，文化部的出行贊助讓年輕的獨立藝術家有機會去國外巡演，否則他們永遠都不會有這樣的機會。陶身體劇場2012年在紐約林肯中心藝術節的演出以及隨後的巡演，包括在中東歐，在印度 Attakkalari 雙年展，在赫爾辛基藝術節和著名的愛丁堡國際藝術節，都是因為文化部在出行方面給予了大力支持，這一切才成為可能。

2016年，有55年歷史的以色列耶路撒冷藝術節首次迎來中國戲劇。由王翀導演的多媒體作品《雷雨2.0》獲得北京市文化局的贊助。文化局提供了20張機票，以及一個裝道具的大型集裝箱。2013年以來，以色列藝術節總監伊奧·謝爾一直想推出這個劇，但由於預算有限最後都不得不取消，2016年由於北京市文化局提供了資助，他在經過三年的努力之後終於能夠把這個作品帶到以色列。

值得注意的是，開展這些巡演的團體，並不是完全由中國政府承包費用的大型政府團體，而是被國際藝術節選中並邀請的獨立中小型團體。常常是，在國際藝術節前來詢問旅行贊助事項之前，政府從來也沒有聽說過這些藝術家。如今，一種良性循環正在形成，獨立的中國當代表演團體受到越來越多的國際邀請，導致中國國內提高了有必要贊助這些團體的意識，這意味着有更多的資金支持它們，更多的海外巡演成為可能，從而使海外越來越多地見識到中國日益多樣化的藝術生態。

過去三年里，中國國家和地方的藝術機構建立了“創作扶持”計劃，委約年輕的舞蹈編導、導演和作曲家創作短而新的作品。2013年12月，當時的文化部長蔡武宣布創立中國國家藝術基金（CNAF），主要由中央政府出資，同時接受公眾捐款。CNAF是中國第一個為個人表演藝術家和未註冊團體直接提供資金的政府實體。

2016年，北京市文化局建立北京文化藝術基金會，其運作與美國的藝術基金會相仿，是由指定藝術類別（話劇、舞蹈、音樂、視覺藝術等等）的專家組成的小組對申請進行審查，並提出建議。成立當年，它就資助了所有類別的80多個不同項目，包括在國內創作新作品和在國內國外巡演。

對中國發展演藝市場的多樣化贊助，不只是為了回應國際需求，更多的還是為了滿足中國本國觀眾和購票者的需要。中國觀眾開放、精明、踴躍。去年進行的11場演出，每到結束後蒂姆·羅賓斯和演員都會走上舞台，與觀眾進行演出後的對話。每晚都會有近七成觀眾留下來，討論總是持續近一個小時，直到劇場不得不關門逐客。

中國觀眾比美國觀眾年輕，大多數人年齡在20歲到40歲。如果票價不是過於昂貴，許多學生和年輕白領每星期會看一次甚至兩次演出。在中國，開放性和對各種項目安排的需求是巨大的，更加多樣化的藝術贊助會帶來更加多樣化的藝術創新，進而為海內外觀眾培養出一個更加多元化的藝術生態系統。

Artists in every country face funding challenges, so what is unique about China's situation? One word: change. As China moves from a planned to a market economy, it is converting not just government-run factories to private enterprises, but government-run theatres and performance troupes as well, completely restructuring funding for the arts. Since 2006 and the 11th Five-Year Plan, the government has been systematically reducing the levels of subsidy for performing arts troupes and venues, in an effort to encourage them to rely on the market.

The challenge, however, is that there is not yet a developed market with diverse income streams on which to rely. With no independent foundations and few government foundations for the performing arts, limited corporate sponsorship, and individual donors few and far between, venues and festivals are overly reliant on ticket sales. As a result, many arts venues and festivals seek productions they feel will appeal to their existing audiences, and hesitate to take financial risks on unknown artists or art forms. Conservative programming in China, therefore, often results not from government censorship, but from a conservative bottom line.

Venues and festivals rely heavily on international governments to subsidize the performance tours of international artists in China. Due to China's increasing importance on the world stage, many foreign Ministries of Culture have been more than happy to underwrite their country's dance, theatre, and orchestra tours in China. The exception to this rule is the United States, which does not have a Ministry of Culture, and therefore sends far fewer performing arts groups to China than its European, Asian and Australian counterparts.

Beijing's prestigious National Centre for the Performing Arts presented its first American theatre company as late as 2013, when my company, Ping Pong Productions, brought L.A. Theatre Works to tour six cities in China. American groups must rely on their own fundraising for tours like these, as fees from local venues are not typically able to cover the costs.

In 2014 and 2016, we produced the China tours of Oscar-winner Tim Robbins and his theatre troupe The Actors' Gang, who performed to sold-out audiences in Beijing and Shanghai. In November 2014, we produced a second China tour for Mark Morris Dance Group. Both companies had to engage in significant fundraising efforts back at home in order to cover the costs of these tours.

Although international groups touring China face considerable financial hurdles, in fact China's own contemporary performance troupes must tackle far greater challenges when it comes to the economics of survival. While the government has reduced its support for large state-funded troupes, it is still in the process of developing alternative funding mechanisms for smaller independent ones.

Since 2009, Ping Pong Productions has been touring independent Chinese dance and theater groups internationally, including the modern dance troupe TAO Dance Theater and theater director Wang Chong. We have toured performances in more than 50 countries on five continents, and secured commissioning funds for the artists to create new productions from festivals and venues in Sweden, the UK, Singapore, Australia, Korea, and more.

These tours and commissioned works represent more than mere feathers in the proverbial cap; they are a necessity for survival. Independent companies in China have few options for financial support, and local presenters often charge Chinese artists rental fees as high as USD 50,000-plus to perform in their venues.

In spite of these sometimes crippling) financial challenges, new developments in recent years already are addressing the situation and working to foster a healthier and more diverse arts ecology in China.

In 2012, the China Shanghai Performing Arts Fair, China's oldest and largest government-run performing arts industry conference, launched the “Rising Artists Works (RAW)” Program, which commissions new works-in-progress by young and emerging independent dance, theater, music and multi-media performing artists. Now entering its fifth year, the RAW Program provides financial support as well as opportunities for the young artists to perform at the annual Shanghai International Arts Festival each October.

Although China's Ministry of Culture does not yet have mechanisms to support operating costs for independent artists and arts groups within China, the Ministry does support travel costs for these groups to tour abroad. Many international festivals are hesitant to invite Chinese artists due to the prohibitive travel and shipping costs; therefore, Ministry travel support has allowed young independent artists opportunities to tour abroad they otherwise never would have had. TAO Dance Theater's 2012 performances at Lincoln Center Festival in NYC, as well as subsequent tours including in Central and Eastern Europe, the India Attakkalari Biennial, Helsinki Festival, and the prestigious Edinburgh International Festival all were made possible thanks to significant travel support from the Ministry of Culture.

In 2016, the Israel Festival in Jerusalem presented the first Chinese theater company in the festival's 55-year history. The multi-media production “Thunderstorm 2.0” directed by Wang Chong was supported by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture which covered 20 airfares and a large shipping container of the play's set. Israel Festival's director Eyal Sher had attempted to present this production since 2013 but always had to cancel due to budget constraints. Thanks to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture's support in 2016, he was finally able to bring the production to Israel after three years of attempts.

It's important to note these tours are not by large government troupes entirely underwritten by the Chinese government. These are small and mid-size independent groups that have been selected and invited by international arts festivals. Very often, the government had not heard of the artists until the international festivals inquired about travel support. A positive cycle is now developing where greater international demand for contemporary independent Chinese performing groups has led to increased awareness within China of the need to support these groups, which means more resources are being channeled to support them, allowing more to tour abroad, and therefore more awareness abroad about China's increasingly diverse arts ecology.

In the past three years, both national and local arts institutions in China have set up 'creation grants' to commission short new works by younger choreographers, directors and composers. In December 2013, then-Minister of Culture Cai Wu announced the establishment of the China National Arts Foundation (CNAF), funded primarily by the central government in addition to public donations. CNAF is the first government entity in China to offer funding directly to individual performing artists and unregistered collectives.

In 2016, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture established the Beijing Arts and Culture Fund. This fund operates similarly to arts foundations in the US, where panels of experts in the designated arts discipline (theater, dance, music, visual arts etc.) review applications and make recommendations. In the inaugural year, it funded more than 80 different projects across all disciplines, including creation of new works in China as well as tours domestically and abroad.

The diversified support for China's developing performing arts market is in response not only to international demand but more so to demand from China's own local audiences and ticket-buyers. China's audiences are open, intelligent, and eager. After all eleven performances last year, Tim Robbins and the cast came on stage for a post-show talk with the crowd. Nearly 70 per cent of the houses stayed each night, and the resulting discussions lasted nearly an hour, until the venues had to kick everybody out to close up.

Audience demographics in China are younger than in the U.S., with most audiences aged between 20-40 years old. If tickets are not overly expensive, many students and young professionals will see performances once if not twice per week. There is tremendous openness to and demand for diverse programming in China. More diverse arts funding will contribute to more diverse artistic innovation, fostering a more diverse arts ecosystem for audiences at home and abroad.