"They know culture is a big thing in being taken seriously as a major power. They know that a lot of political discussions take place in the soft-power realm. There's an idea now that places like China have realized that they have cash, and opera houses in Italy, for example, don't, but they do have the expertise. That's led to some very interesting international collaborations."

In 2011, New York City's renowned Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced a business deal with China's State-owned Tianjin Innovative Finance Investment Co to consult on the planning of a Tianjin performing arts complex over three years. At the time, Lincoln Center spokeswoman Betsy Vorce said the collaboration had been initiated partly to foster exchanges between Chinese artists and organizations and their US counterparts. Lincoln Center was unwilling to disclose financial details of the deal.

Francesca Zambello, an internationally respected director of opera and theater, was commissioned by China's National Centre for the Performing Arts to direct a production of Georges Bizet's Carmen in 2011.

"I think this is a major focus for [the Chinese government]; they want to expand to bring Western culture to China," said Zambello. "But I don't think they are doing it at the expense of developing their own culture.

"Chinese opera (traditional Peking opera) is a rich, beautiful tradition, and I don't feel like they're losing sight of that. I do feel that they're very serious about this. They're not dabbling, and they want to learn. I respect that."

Guangzhou Opera House opened on May 9, 2010. Yao Shengbo / for China Daily

Steep learning curve

Zambello's experience on the production was rewarding but exhausting: "Bringing European culture to the Chinese requires a big learning curve. It was very difficult. They're not used to dealing with foreigners. Often the administration would say 'Yes, Yes, Yes' but then nothing would happen. They didn't want to say 'No'. It's the same in Japan.

"But I will say that working with the Chinese, I saw that they are very willing and they work hard. In so many places in the world, they will say 'This is just how we do things', but in China they really want to learn."

During the production, the Chinese performers were still learning to sing in the Western style, she said. Carmen, first staged in 1875, requires a sultry vibe, and it took a while for the Chinese performers to feel comfortable enough to touch each other on stage, she said.

"But in the end, I had to tell them to get their hands off each other," Zambello said with a laugh. "Ultimately I really loved the experience, and it was very moving for me."

Venues are a major factor in how the performing arts develop, Newhouse said. "In the West the emphasis is on natural acoustics, so that is the focus of the architect. But in China the natural acoustics are not as important. I think the Chinese are used to amplification. The theory is that this custom of amplifying almost everything originated during the 'cultural revolution' (1966-76) when slogans were constantly being broadcast, and that a taste for amplification developed during that time."

Carl Rosenberg, an acoustics expert for the consultancy Acentech Inc, who traveled to China with Newhouse, said the trend is to build all-in-one complexes that can accommodate theater, symphony orchestras and opera. In the West, these are usually performed in separate halls built specifically for the required acoustics and staging of each form, he said.

"The grand theaters in China try to do it all, and a space which will be used for Chinese opera one night will be used for a grand symphony the next," he said. "That's a very challenging acoustic requirement. I don't want to be presumptuous in saying that the value or quality is not good, and I would say that more often than not for the programs they are presenting it's quite successful. Most of their productions are amplified, and overall the sound quality is good."