By YIN XINGCHUAN

The Central Ballet Troupe rehearses Raising the Red Lantern, an adaptation from Director Zhang Yimou's namesake film.

AT weekends the normally peaceful Beijing Dance Academy is alive with people. The road before its gate is partly blocked by cars and bicycles parked on both sides, leaving a narrow path where still more cars and bicycles jam together, trying to push their way through. These people come from various parts of Beijing to attend dance training classes. Some are adults of diverse ages, but the majority comprises children accompanied by their parents.

The Beijing Dance Academy, situated in an obscure alley in Xicheng District of Beijing, is one of the most prestigious art schools of higher learning in China. Apart from training professional dancers, it also operates various training courses for the general public. Since standards of living improved, many parents are now eager to give their children access to wide-ranging interests, so that they may grow up to be well-rounded and versatile adults. Weekend classes are usually attended by several hundred people, sometimes over one thousand, including accompanying parents. It makes an impressive sight.

Apart from traditional Chinese dance and Western modern dance, a large proportion of students also attend ballet classes. Younger parents in particular are keen to put their children through ballet training, as they believe it nurtures their artistic qualities and refines their character.

The arts world in China has never lacked exponents or devotees, which demonstrates its respected place in Chinese social life. The particular art form of ballet -- possibly the most exquisite, has not, however, been able to gain access to the performing arts market. There are currently 300 professional ballet dancers in five ballet troupes in China but whole continued existence and performing activities depend on state financial allocations for cultural undertakings.

China does not, however, lack professional ballet training institutions. The Beijing Dance Academy and the Shanghai Dance Academy are two schools of higher education that specialize in training dancers. They each have a middle school affiliate where professional dance training starts at a younger age. Both academies have set up ballet departments, as have other art schools of higher education. In addition, there are numerous secondary art schools in China that train ballet and other dancers, and dance educators.

Apart from these government-run art institutions, there are private dance schools and training courses. The Runliang Dance Art School in Beijing is one, and is famed for its ballet training. Its founder, Zhong Runliang, is one of the best known ballerinas in China. She started her school in 1997 to promote ballet in China. Several of the first group of graduates from the school have started professional careers, either on the stage or as teachers, and others have continued their studies, either at home or abroad. The school is particularly proud of its students who have won awards at international youth ballet competitions.

The Guangzhou Ballet Troupe introduces elements of Peking Opera into its ballet production.

The Runliang Dance Art School relies entirely on funds raised through social channels -- an indication of the social support and attention that ballet commands, as well as the eagerness on the part of young people to learn. It is not easy to become a professional ballet dancer, owing to the many years professional training takes, and the heavier financial input required of the trainee, as compared with that for a regular education. Many parents who firmly believe in their children's dancing talent would nonetheless go to any lengths to send them to a dance school. At each enrollment, an increasing number of applicants compete for the limited admission tickets to attend the middle school attached to the Beijing Dance Academy. The same is true of other government-run dance schools. This is why private dance schools like the Runliang have become popular.

In recent years, ballet has acquired an audience in large cities like Beijing and Shanghai, and has formulated relatively stable performing seasons. Many foreign ballet troupes have visited China, and almost all items of world ballet repertoire have been performed on the Chinese stage.

Chinese ballet choreographers have created their own innovations by blending Chinese artistic elements with this Western art. Though ballet came to China as late as the 1950s, and few knew anything about it at that time, the Chinese ballet dramas, The Red Detachment of Women, and White-haired Girl, had their premier in the 1960s, and have since never failed to draw large audiences. Today they still command audiences' rapt attention, and have also won fame on international ballet stage.

Last year the Guangzhou Ballet Troupe adapted the ancient Chinese love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai into a ballet drama. Its music comprises a violin concerto, a symphonic chorus, ancient Chinese zithers, and musical elements from Shaoxing opera. In this production, ancient Chinese style costumes are worn, rather than classic ballet attire. Traditional Chinese dance movements, featuring those enhanced by long sleeves and fans, and Chinese expressionist dance language, blend with the abstract, obscure, and allusive concepts of Western modern dance. The production is a ballet of oriental charm.

Last year, the Guangzhou Ballet Troupe gave eight performances in the United States. In addition to the traditional ballet classics, Liang and Zhu also appeared on the program, and nearly 10,000 Americans watched its performance. Local newspapers spoke favorably of the Chinese ballet dancers' artistic technique. Zhang Dandan, head of the troupe, said that though foreign audiences may not fully understand Liang and Zhu, Chinese ballet nevertheless won their respect.

Despite these achievements, Chinese ballet is still struggling its way through barren soil, and professional ballet troupes find themselves in a quandary. On the one hand they have a potential ballet audience; but on the other, they must struggle to survive, which leaves them energy insufficient to develop the potential market.

Learning ballet is now a popular pastime.

China now has five professional ballet troupes, located in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang and Guangzhou. Compared with their foreign counterparts, Chinese troupes are small, with just a few dozen dancers. Maintenance of their daily operations requires an annual budget of between a few million to over 10 million yuan. Their annual income from performances, the highest being the Central Ballet Troupe in Beijing, stands at around five million yuan. As to smaller troupes, their annual income amounts to just a few hundred thousand yuan. Budget shortfalls need to be covered by state allocation or social support. This shoe string budget means that ballet troupes cannot afford to expand, even though the total number of professional ballet dancers in China amounts to only 300. Neither do they have energy to spare for the creation of new productions or other works outside their performance timetable.

The Central Ballet Troupe is the largest in China and has earned itself an international reputation. A lack of funds with which, however, to recruit young dancers has resulted in an average age within the company, as at the mid-1990s, of 40. It was, therefore, referred to in the media as "the oldest ballet troupe in the world." Later, with special funds from the state, the troupe was able to recruit a group of younger dancers.

Ballet has no roots in China, and the right way to establish a ballet market and win large audiences is a question faced by Chinese ballet circles. Zhang Dandan, head of the Guangzhou Ballet Troupe -- generally considered the most innovative in China, believes that ballet "demystification" and popularization is foremost in this regard. Her troupe charges low prices for its performances, the lowest ticket being 20 yuan, and the highest, 80 yuan. Ms. Zhang explains that although ballet should not be a low consumption pastime, her current priority is gradually to guide people into the ballet world.

Many troupes, cultural departments, and individuals like Zhong Runliang are making efforts to popularize ballet. But such efforts seem feeble when taking into account the large potential market. More input and better planning are needed if the Chinese ballet market is to develop.