What is the difference between "show business" and the "entertainment industry?" And why is this important?


There are a few critical structural differences between the West’s culture of “show business” and China’s administrative definition of the “entertainment industry” (娱乐业). Show business encompasses a plethora of entertainment performances and products such as dance, music, and film. On the other hand, in China, the entertainment industry is extremely segmented and includes a variety of activities external to those traditionally considered as “show business” such as indoor recreation activities, amusement parks and lotteries. This difference is extremely important because the Chinese government recently approved numerous targeted liberalization measures for specific sub-sectors of China’s entertainment industry, which does not entirely include the same sub-sectors as show business.


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