Ningbo, an affluent city in East China, is encouraging what it calls "social forces" - private entities - to engage in the cultural sector, in an effort to break from the traditional model in which most cultural events, such as concerts, operas, exhibitions and sports matches, are funded by governments.

"Ningbo has many cultural entities that would like to participate in such. From the government's perspective, we need to support and guide them into the arena through preferential policies," said Chen Sanjun, director of the culture and art department under the Ningbo Committee of the Communist Party of China's publicity bureau.

Ningbo boasts a strong private business base, with one in four local people involved in export-related industries.