STVFORUM｜Coexistence, Co-creation, Integration: The Dual Drive of "Film and Television + Cultural Tourism"

Amidst the high-quality development of China's TV drama industry, a plethora of thematic works have emerged, leading to notable examples of film and television driving tourism consumption. The "Film and Television + Cultural Tourism" strategy is shaping a new paradigm in the development of China's television industry and exploring new paths for the continuous integrated development of the film industry. On the morning of June 24th, the opening forum of the 29th STVF, themed "Pioneering Imagery in Fusion with Cultural Tourism", invited esteemed domestic and international creators of TV dramas, experts, representatives from the tourism industry, and platform representatives to exchange creative experiences and discuss the direction and trends of Chinese TV dramas in the new era, promoting innovative integration within the TV drama industry.

Gao Changli, Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration; Luo Yi, Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism and Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television; and Nick Percy, President of Global Markets at BBC Studios, each delivered keynote speeches. The forum included two roundtable talks focusing on "The Integration of Popular Film and Television IP with Culture and Tourism Development" and "New Trends in TV Industry Development". Wang Liping, Vice Chairperson of the China Television Artists Association and National Level-1 screenwriter, moderated the forum.

Gao Changli

Director of the Department of TV Series, National Radio and Television Administration

Gao Changli emphasized that since last year, President Xi Jinping has issued important directives on artistic creation and cultural tourism work, leading to new models and experiences in the integration of TV dramas, online dramas, online movies, and tourism. He shared his insights on excellent creations: first, to combine personalized expression with organized creation to produce more works that reflect the modernization efforts of the Chinese people and showcase the cultural confidence and heritage of the Chinese nation; second, to combine ecological construction with industry governance to create a healthier and more orderly environment for TV drama creation and production; and third, to combine broadcasting on both large and small screens, domestically and internationally, to ensure outstanding works reach households more swiftly and conveniently. "TV dramas are the staple food of our people, and this staple should include both rich and simple dishes. We sincerely hope that through the continuous efforts and exploration of the entire industry, we can keep providing domestic and international audiences with a feast of deep thoughts, exquisite art, and well-produced content, showing China to the world in a favorable light."

Luo Yi

Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism

Deputy Director of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television

"Film and Television +", in various aspects, has already seen numerous innovative explorations and successful cases in China, from which several commonalities can be drawn. First and foremost, the foundation of "Film and Television +" lies in excellent works. Quality film and television productions inherently possess strong artistic appeal. Their depth of thought, warmth of expression, and sharpness of insight are potential extensions of their vitality, whether it's "Film and Television + Cultural Tourism" or "Film and Television + Performing Arts", relying on the excellence of the works themselves. Secondly, the unique charm of "Film and Television +" is its mutual commitment. Film and television works that resonate with the audience, triggering an emotional "nuclear point" that incites further experiential exploration, mutually enhance and empower each other with good offline experiences. Lastly, the boundless possibilities of "Film and Television +" are the best testament to the high-quality development of Chinese television dramas. High-quality, refined series create stronger emotional connections and foster more diverse offline experiences. The grand rivers and mountains of China, the vast scenarios of reform and opening up, and the thriving urban and rural life are widely recognized through film and television, an art form that closely aligns with public and everyday life. I believe that in the future, China will produce more exemplary "Film and Television +" cases, making the drama industry a "source" and "amplifier" for satisfying the spiritual and cultural needs of the people.

Nick Percy

President of Global Markets at BBC Studios

According to VisitBritain, 5% of all international visitors to the UK visit famous film, television, music, or literary sites. For instance, the Visit Wales website provides filming locations for DOCTOR WHO in Wales, including St Donat's Castle and Rhossili Bay Beach. A steady stream of tourists, eager to see these iconic scenes from the series, and visit these locations. A similar impact is observed with SHERLOCK, which is equally popular in China and set in central London on Baker Street. To date, we have distributed it to over 200 countries and regions worldwide. In fact, the café is located on Gower Street in Bloomsbury, London, a mile from the real Baker Street in Marylebone. Yet, fans queue up eagerly to relive Sherlock's experiences and perhaps order a "Sherlock's favorite breakfast" from the menu. We not only attract tourists through offline events but also collaborate with tourism agencies in other countries to develop various online and offline products, encouraging visitors to travel around the world.

Roundtable One

The Integration of Popular Film and Television IP with Culture and Tourism Development

Fu Binxing

President of Huace Group

Before the shooting of MEET YOURSELF, our screenwriter visited many cities across the country, including a small village in Yunnan that was then a poverty-stricken village, which provided a lot of inspiration. I remember when we first went there, the village had less than 20 visitors a day, but two years later, when our drama aired, the daily number of tourists had increased exponentially. This experience profoundly demonstrated the potential impact of our industry on the socio-economic landscape.

In the first half of this year, another of our productions, BEST CHOICE EVER, also performed very well. Supported by the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, the project achieved mutual benefit and increased traffic for both the drama and the local area. We look forward to entering more beautiful places, bringing China's wonderful lifestyle and cultural elements to a broader international stage through this creation format, and showcasing them to a global audience interested in Chinese-language content. This commitment is something we at Huace have always strived to maintain.

Steven James Pemberton

British Actor, Writer, Director

One of the most interesting aspects of INSIDE NO. 9 is that it has no continuity in scenes or characters; each episode is shot in a different location and starts from scratch. While some of our shooting can be done in studios, much of it requires on-site shoots from Manchester to London, presenting the biggest challenge in our creation process. Not every day yields the answers we seek. Fortunately, as a two-person writing team, we continuously discuss our work, which helps us navigate through blocks in creation. When inspiration runs dry, we turn off our computers and engage with podcasts, newspapers, novels, and other films and TV shows—all potential sources of inspiration.

Reece ShearSmith

British Actor, Writer

INSIDE NO. 9 is wonderful in that each week presents a new story. Over the past decade, we've experimented with various tones and styles—some silly, some humorous, and some serious. For us, serving as both writers and actors, this has been a fantastic learning process. We give our all in each season because we never know if there will be another, and we must maintain high quality. The hardest part is keeping the suspense and mystery of the IP intact while avoiding any sense of repetition for the audience. We have to carefully balance this to keep the viewers engaged.

Tang Yunyi

Deputy Director,

Institute of Applied Economics, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences

As the quality of our television dramas improves, two effects are amplified: first, the aggregation effect, where the original architecture and hardware of cities or distinctive regions can quickly gather more attention and influence through television dramas. Second is the spillover effect, where the economic and social benefits of the film and cultural and creative industries are magnified. We should not view film and television as minor industries; instead, we should see them as major carriers. Film and television can quickly attract attention, but we need to develop them sustainably to achieve a long-lasting effect. We must continue to explore the value of film and television works and the larger space for coexistence, co-creation, and integration with cities.

Zeng Yingxue

Senior Vice President of Perfect World

Head of Film and TV Business of Perfect World

Last year, our drama RAY OF LIGHT, shot in Huizhou, received excellent responses. According to statistics, the drama brought about 1.8 billion in tourism spending to Huizhou, significantly boosting the local economy. The popularity of the drama heated up the city, but maintaining this heat is quite challenging. Last year, we produced another drama titled WELCOME TO MILELE, a co-production with Tanzania. From preparation to shooting, we received a lot of support from the Tanzanian government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At that time, our lead actor even filmed a local promotional video with the President of Tanzania. We also have a drama about HAPPINESS JUNCAO, which tells the story of Chinese scientists promoting this herb in 106 countries and regions worldwide. I believe this drama will also be broadcast in the respective countries and regions abroad. These are all attempts at "Film and Television + Cultural Tourism", allowing global audiences to gain a deeper understanding of China and showing the Chinese audience the world outside.

Zou Linfeng

Chairman, Shaanxi Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd.

I believe that a good cultural and tourism project can not only enliven a city but also deepen everyone's understanding of it. The mutual advancement of cultural tourism and film/TV is actually a reconstitution of the city's image. China has so many cities, each with its unique humanities, landscapes, cultures, and cuisines. Through the unique perspectives of actors and directors in dramas and movies, these elements are magnified and enriched in a short time. This is a cultural reconstruction of urban cultural and tourism projects, which can quickly attract the attention of people nationwide and globally.

THE LONGEST DAY IN CHANG’AN has attracted 4.5 million visitors since its opening in 2022. In this district, we continuously innovate based on the television series, grounding historical IPs such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Yang Guifei, and others into the neighborhood, continuing stories not shown in the series. For example, we explore how the people of the Tang Dynasty celebrated festivals like Qixi and Mid-Autumn. We extend each festival's cultural aspects based on the series' portrayals, so visitors to “The Longest Day in Chang'an” at different times will have varied experiences.

Roundtable Two

New Trends in TV Industry Development

Chen Xiao

Senior Vice President of iQIYI

Realism provides a fertile ground for our creativity because truth and reality are the greatest foundations and treasures for creation. Our methods of creation also reflect the authentic local customs, emotions, backgrounds, and historical contexts of the characters. First, it provides us with a tangible basis. Second, realistic creative methods allow us to communicate more sincerely with today's audience, serving as a medium of communication that originates from many real-life materials. The ultimate purpose of artistic works is to reflect life and enlighten the soul, and this communication is a valuable means to achieve this goal.

The recently popular TO THE WONDER, though a short series, has had a tangible impact on offline cultural tourism. According to Xinjiang Daily, tourist numbers in the Altay Prefecture increased by more than 80% year-over-year, with tourism-related income increasing by over 90% and expected to rise further with the peak season. The success of this drama proves that there are ample opportunities for co-creation and integration between us and offline cultural tourism. Additionally, the use of realism in filming means that the scenic spots featured in the drama are easily integrated into travel itineraries, directly and significantly boosting tourism.

Xie Ying

Vice President of Youku

Realistic creation methods are a perspective of observation intended to be a collective expression of common problems encountered by people with each other, society, and the times, which are then presented and expressed through the medium of film and television. This approach is not closely tied to the era or subject matter; it's purely a creative methodological approach. Since THE LONGEST DAY IN CHANG’AN popularized tourism in Xi'an in 2019, Youku has had several hit dramas that have driven local cultural and tourism development. During the popular run of RAY OF LIGHT, Huizhou launched four premium travel routes, boosting cultural and tourism consumption by about 1.8 billion yuan; HIDDEN LOVE (2023) made Xiamen's Huandong Romantic Route a hot check-in spot; and after TILL THE END OF THE MOON (2023) went viral, Bengbu achieved a "May Day" tourism revenue of 1.494 billion yuan, up more than 300% from 2019; the recently aired TENDER LIGHT (2024) also made Jiangxi's Wuyuan a popular destination.

In addition, Film and Television IP flash events and theme exhibitions have also become new tourism scenes. Youku's hosted events like the COUNTRY LOVE 15 themed snow sculpture, THE BLOOD OF YOUTH Chinese-style exhibition, and NIGHT DREAMERS flash mob, all of which have injected new vitality into city IPs. Dramas like SCENT OF TIME and COMMON FOOD have also delved into intangible heritage and culinary values, expanding the connotations of tourism modes and continuously activating the film and tourism dividends of the locations.

Zhang Heng

Deputy General Manager of Online Video Film and Television Content Production, Tencent Video, and Chief Editor, Tencent Video

We now demand a "people-centered" approach, where creators must always keep the people in mind and tell stories that are understandable, relatable, and loved by the people. For instance, Tencent's early-year drama BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI brought forth the concept of "Film and Television + Cultural Tourism". No matter how much innovation or integration follows, the core remains the creation of quality content. Only by creating premium content like BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI, which provides artistic direction and penetration, can we bring this kind of impact to other industries. Quality work is fundamental; we must remain true to our original aspirations and create excellence.

Zhou Hai

Member of the Party Committee of Hunan TV

Member of the Party Committee and Deputy General Manager of Mango Excellent Media

Every creation has its value expression, and telling the Chinese story well is our basic need and responsibility. Our era is undergoing tremendous change, and choosing which stories to tell is a significant challenge for creators at the early stages—whether to focus on the elite or the general public, whether to superficially touch upon topics or delve into the intricate details and hidden stories of life, finding your own way of expression. This is a major challenge for creators and even represents their value proposition. Like the creation is to serve the people, the "people-centered" creation orientation is embedded in our creation philosophy and content selection process. For Mango, we aim to find an effective way to communicate with the young by adopting a youthful perspective—I am more hopeful, more adventurous, and more curious about the world, and I try to understand it with a certain skepticism. We hope to find a more effective communication method with young people while also having our unique expression.

The 29th STVF is hosted by the National Radio and Television Administration, China Media Group, and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government, and organized by Shanghai Municipal Administration of Radio and Television and Shanghai Media Group, with co-organization by the Administration Committee of Lin-gang Special Area of China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, and special support from Shanghai Lingang Special Area Investment Holding (Group) Co., Ltd.