Six cultural and tourism projects from Guangdong have been included in the 2025–2026 "The Belt and Road" International Cooperation Key Projects in Cultural and Tourism Industries, issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China. The national list features 52 projects, with Guangdong's selections spanning digital culture, service support, performing arts, and tourism leisure sectors.
The chosen projects reflect the province's diverse cultural output. They include the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, the animated series Adventurer Carly, an entertainment equipment tour across Southeast Asia, acrobatic productions for international tours, the design and operation of an indoor snow park in Riyadh, and the animated feature Into The Mortal World (落凡尘).
Guangdong's cultural sector has recorded the highest revenue in China for 22 consecutive years, contributing one-third of the nation's total animation revenue. The province accounts for approximately two-fifths of China's cultural trade, reaching over 160 countries and regions. This scale provides a foundation for its creative industries to transition from expanding volume to refining the quality and depth of their international outreach.
Into The Mortal World, an animated feature inspired by the Chinese legend of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, exemplifies this shift towards "deep localization" rather than simple translation for overseas markets. The film has been screened in over half of Vietnam's cinemas and on more than 1,500 screens in Russia, earning over 25 million rubles at the box office. To date, it has been released in theaters across more than 40 countries and regions, including Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, reaching over 1,000 cinemas internationally.
The film's production involved over 2,000 artists working for five years and features more than 1,600 special effects shots, reflecting the capacity of Guangdong's industrial animation cluster. In 2024, the province produced 27,000 minutes of television animation, the highest output in China, supported by over 200,000 related businesses covering the entire industry chain from content creation to licensing and producing.
According to Gu Yanmei, Vice President of WINSING Animation, the company behind the film, the strategy is to build a "globalization model" that integrates content production, worldwide distribution, and derivative sales. New titles in the "Eastern Legends" series, including The Phoenix and Me (2027) and Into The Mortal World 2 (2028), are in development.
Author | Feng Huiting
Photo | WINSING Animation
Editor | Liu Lingzhi, James Campion, Shen He
