Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center: Spatial Reinvention and Value Re-Creation Through New Performance Venues

(disponible en anglais seulement)

[VERSION EN PRÉPUBLICATION]

Ming Ma, Yue Li

Ming Ma is a professor at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, City University of Macau. His research focuses on arts management, digital cultural industries, and cultural economics. He serves as Director of the China Cultural Industries Manage­ment Committee and is a board member of the Beijing Peacock Contemporary Dance Company.
Yue Li is a teacher at Jining Polytechnic, where she teaches Introduction to Arts and Introduction to New Media Art. Her research focuses on arts institution operations.

ABSTRACT
This case study examines how the Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center (BTPAC) revitalized an underutilized space by transforming it into an immersive theatre for The Guardian Cat in the Forbidden City. Faced with pressures of spatial inefficiency, audience diversification, and operational sustainability, BTPAC pursued a strategy of spatial reinvention through asset repurposing rather than new construction. Drawing on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, field observations, and document analysis, the study analyzes how BTPAC integrated spatial redesign, original content creation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration to foster value co-creation. The project generated significant economic, cultural, and social value, demonstrating a replicable model for traditional theatres seeking to adapt to immersive and digital trends. The findings offer strategic insights for arts managers on leveraging existing assets, engaging diverse stakeholders, and innovating within institutional constraints to achieve sustainable renewal.
KEYWORDS
New performance venues; spatial reinvention; value co-creation; traditional theatre transformation; immersive performance