Guangdong’s cultural and related industries generated revenue of RMB 2,248.3 billion in 2023, marking a 6% increase from the previous year and ranking first nationwide, a report released at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Industry Investment Conference said.

Currently, the number of cultural industry practitioners in Guangdong has reached 3.04 million, with over 660,000 cultural enterprises and more than 1,000 cultural industry parks and bases. Guangdong’s cultural industry scale accounts for one-seventh of the national total and has held the top position for 20 consecutive years.

Guangdong boasts two cultural trade and export bases. The cultural products and services exported by Guangdong’s cultural industry account for about two-fifths of the national total, covering more than 160 countries and regions. These exports mainly involve micro-short dramas, digital publishing, animation and games, creative design, performance equipment, and other fields.

Cultural manufacturing contributes nearly half of the overall revenue of cultural and related industries in Guangdong. The revenue of enterprises above the designated size in cultural manufacturing reached RMB 1.05 trillion, accounting for one-quarter of the national total.

Statistically, Guangdong produces four-fifths of the country’s gaming and amusement equipment. Guangzhou’s gaming console products occupy 20% of the global market share, while one-quarter of the world’s animation derivatives are produced in Dongguan.

From the perspective of specific industries, Guangdong’s digital music, digital publishing, and animation output values account for two-fifths, one-fifth, and one-third of the national totals, respectively.

In recent years, Guangdong has increasingly invested in its cultural industry. From 2019 to 2023, the investment in cultural and technological integration doubled, and the number of patent applications in this field increased by 45%. There are over 5,000 high-tech enterprises involved in cultural industry and services, and the proportion of researchers in cultural manufacturing among practitioners is 22.3%, ranking first nationwide.

Meanwhile, new formats such as digital creativity, e-sports, digital music, online audio-visual content, and online entertainment have emerged, generating revenue of RMB 781.4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 9.7%, accounting for 35% of the total revenue of the cultural industry.

New application scenarios have also emerged where the cultural industry is integrated with various sectors, including tourism, the internet, commerce, sports, agriculture, and the health industry.

Reporter | Chen Jinxia

Poster Script | Chen Siyuan, Chen Jinxia

Poster Design | Cai Junru

Editor | Hu Nan, James, Shen He