The box office revenue of commercial performances in China reached 30.408 billion yuan (around 4.49 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of 2026, the China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) said Friday.
This figure, which excludes performances in entertainment venues, represents a year-on-year increase of 9.41 percent, according to a market report released by the CAPA.
Audience numbers for commercial performances topped 98.8 million, up 5.28 percent from the same period last year.
The first half of the year saw a busy schedule of top-tier touring productions, a boom in new performance spaces and sustained strong demand for live shows.
Much of the momentum, analysts say, has been driven by government support measures aimed at boosting the performance industry.
China's commercial performance box office revenue up 9.41 pct in H1
Nearly 200,000 people have been evacuated near Bordeaux, a city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department, as wildfires rage on in southwestern France.
Water-bombing aircraft swooped low over the fires raging outside Bordeaux, but load after load of water disappears into the flames.
"The intensity is enormous. We already had a fire in 2022 in the same spot. It started right here. As you can see, there's nothing left. And four years later, we're back in the same place," said Arnault Des Granges, a firefighter.
Twenty kilometers west of Bordeaux, the biggest of the 32 fires raging out of control in the south of France is scorching the pine forest.
"It's so terrible that the fire is hard to control. The fire is 500 meters away, and the flames are leaping 500 meters. With the wind they're forecasting at 80 kilometers per hour, I don't think we'll put it out. It's going to spread," Granges said.
A bit further down the road, the race was on to get horses out. Spooked by the smoke and noise, they were rushed onto trailers and driven to safety.
At a makeshift reception center, beds were laid out, and huge quantities of food prepared for exhausted firefighters.
"We're making them some paella and camembert with fries. That way they can eat and regain their strength to fight the fire," said a staff member at the center.
Around 200,000 evacuated as wildfires rage on in southwestern France
