KOREAN dramas and idols, Hollywood movies, and Japanese anime are among the global cultural imports that saturate our daily lives. Do Chinese cultural exports have the same traction overseas? The upcoming 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) could shed light on this question by offering glimpses, if only in part, into the international reach of Chinese cultural offerings.

Scheduled to open Thursday, the fair will feature several prominent Chinese cultural exporters, including China Literature Ltd., YoyWow Communications, Crazy Maple Studio, and Mihoyo, that will showcase their diverse efforts to promote Chinese culture to a global audience.

In recent years, the “new three” cultural products — online literature, web dramas, and online games — have emerged as significant contributors to China’s cultural intellectual property (IP) exports.

According to the 2023 China Online Literature Development Research Report, the overseas market for China’s online literature has ballooned to over 4 billion yuan (US$550 million).

“It is widely recognized that the ICIF has played a pivotal role in advancing the development of China’s cultural industry,” said a China Literature Ltd. staff member. “We aim to showcase exceptional products to audiences from around the world and display the accomplishments and opportunities within the entire online literature industrial chain.”

China Literature Ltd., a Shanghai-based e-publication platform, has excelled in exporting online literature IPs and a diverse array of adapted works.

This year will be the first time for Shenzhen-based YoyWow Communications to attend the ICIF. YoyWow is one of the earliest market-oriented institutions in China dedicated to the exportation of content.

“We look forward to showcasing the increasing competitiveness of Chinese culture in the global market,” said a staffer in charge of the company’s booth at this year’s ICIF. “Furthermore, we aim to engage with international luminaries to explore new paths for Chinese culture to go global.”

“This is our first time participating in the ICIF, and we are looking forward to insightful exchanges with the game industry and expanding our overseas ‘circle of friends,’” said an employee with Mihoyo, a Shanghai-based game firm.

“The overseas market demand for short dramas is very large. We hope to establish cooperative relationships with more enterprises and jointly explore the overseas market,” said Nan Yapeng, general manager of ReelShort Beijing. ReelShort is a Chinese short-drama app developed and operated by Crazy Maple Studio.

Crazy Maple Studio is a U.S.-headquartered developer of entertainment applications. Its research and development team is based in Shenzhen.        (Li Jing)