Series of city-level industrial hubs set up to enhance export of Chinese media

For years, China's cultural exports relied on scattered corporate efforts. Zhejiang province has revamped this by building locally adapted industrial hubs underpinned by provincial strategic planning and city-level niche positioning to foster diverse cultural export pathways.

Hangzhou leads Zhejiang's digital cultural expansion. In June 2026, the city launched an overseas expansion plan for online literature, web dramas and video games, aiming to become a national benchmark for high-quality cultural export development. Empowered by self-developed large language models including Huace Group's Youfeng and Guose, Hangzhou is accelerating tech-driven content iteration and industrial upgrading.

Ningbo focuses on diversified IP incubation. The city is home to more than 400 online authors, whose literature has reached 191 countries and regions. Cumulative views of its short dramas and animations have exceeded 5 billion.

At the Zhejiang cultural "new trio" promotion event in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in May, Ningbo secured four key projects, including an AI live-action short drama export platform set to launch over 300 high-quality productions annually.

Leveraging its renowned overseas resources, Wenzhou has built a multilayered international communication system for online literature. It consists of one central exchange institute, 20 overseas collaboration centers and multiple grassroots service stations.

The China online literature international communication research institute at Wenzhou University was set up in January, focusing on theoretical research, IP transformation, overseas promotion and talent training.

Home to Hengdian World Studios, China's largest film and television production base, Dongyang city is transforming from a traditional filming base into a modern innovation hub.

Hengdian has developed unique overseas-themed sets for micro-short dramas, with nearly 1,000 professional sets now available to meet diverse filming needs. The base also offers diverse filming locations and a large pool of talent, including over 140,000 extras and 15,000 support staff. Its specialized production model and strong coordination make filming highly efficient.

Ruian has pioneered a unique development model integrating intangible cultural heritage, AI technologies and overseas Chinese channels. Taking inspiration from its 800-year-old wooden movable-type printing craft, the city has adopted a "training-while-producing" incubation mechanism.

Its first cohort of 38 young creators delivered 44 original IP works. In the first half of 2026, revenue from Ruian's key new cultural enterprises hit 154 percent of its 2025 total. The city has also launched a 200-million-yuan ($29.75 million) cultural venture fund and established a full-chain service system for copyright registration, certification and trading.

Other Zhejiang cities are cultivating overseas tracks. Huzhou is exploring a model of Chinese productions with foreign cast members for cross-border video works. Lishui is focused on AI-generated-content-based script incubation. And Longquan leverages overseas Chinese networks to promote its time-honored sword and ceramic craftsmanship globally.

From top-level provincial policy design to grassroots county-level innovation, Zhejiang has built a systematic cultural export ecosystem, turning scattered individual efforts into unified, scalable global cultural influence.