On December 4th, reporters learned from the “Press Conference on the 2025 Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair and Guangzhou Film Expo” held by the Information Office of the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government that the 2025 Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair (hereinafter referred to as the “Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair”), sponsored by the Guangzhou Municipal People’s Government and co-organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Guangzhou Municipal Committee and the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism, will be grandly held in Halls 17.2 – 20.2, Zone D of the China Import and Export Fair Complex from December 19th to 21st.
With the theme of “The Greater Bay Area Connects the World, Culture and Tourism Create the Future”, this session of the fair focuses on global cultural trade and the integration of culture and tourism. It builds an industrial exchange platform through the trinity form of “exhibitions, conferences and activities” combined with the model of “culture, technology and trade”. It showcases the innovative achievements of culture and tourism in the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area and across the country, promotes resource connection and cooperation, and injects “Guangzhou momentum” into the high – quality development of culture and tourism.
This session of the fair has constructed a three-dimensional pattern featuring the parallel advancement of three distinctive exhibition areas – the Digital Equipment Exhibition for Culture, Commerce, Tourism and Sports, the International Culture and Tourism Trade Exhibition, and the Guangzhou Film Industry Expo. A series of supporting activities will be held simultaneously, including the Announcement of the Top 30 Guangzhou Cultural Enterprises, the 4th Guangzhou International Cultural Trade and Investment Conference, the China Digital Culture and Tourism Resource Matching Event, the series of activities under the “Urban Upgrade and Cultural Renewal Plan”, the High-quality Foreign Trade Products Exchange and Matching Event of the Fair, the Innovative Cooperation and Matching Event for the Cultural Heritage Industry Chain, the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Culture and Tourism Industry Consumption Promotion Event, the 7th Guangzhou Cultural Finance Conference, the Global Culture and Tourism Venture Capital Conference, the Literature, Script and Film & Television Incubation and Promotion Conference, and the “Vitality Plan” International Venture Capital Conference. These activities will gather global industry wisdom and provide a platform for ideological exchanges and resource connection for the innovative development of the culture and tourism industry.
Eight Years of Fruitful Development, Guangzhou’s Cultural Industry Booms with Vitality
First held in 2017, the Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair has grown into a major national cultural industry event after eight years of development. It has become a crucial platform for linking global resources, promoting industrial transactions and leading industry trends.
In 2025, over 1,000 enterprises will participate in or visit the fair, covering segmented sectors such as animation and games, film and television technology, and intangible cultural heritage creative products. Its influence continues to rise, which is a testament to the fact that countless innovative schemes have found application scenarios and created commercial and social values here. This highlights the fair’s role in aggregating cultural industry resources and facilitating transactions.
Behind the vigorous development of the Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair lies the growing vitality of Guangzhou’s cultural industry. In 2024, the operating income of Guangzhou’s cultural industry exceeded 600 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 604.08 billion yuan with a year – on – year growth of 4%. New cultural formats have accelerated their rise, and many segmented fields have taken a leading position in China. Among them, the live streaming sector leads the country. In 2024, the retail sales of live streaming e-commerce reached 517.1 billion yuan, ranking first nationwide. In addition, Guangzhou takes the lead in the performing arts industry. It held more than 140,000 commercial performances in 2024, firmly maintaining its position in the first tier among Chinese cities renowned for concerts. The added value of the cultural industry in 2024 was approximately 210 billion yuan, accounting for 6.44% of the city’s GDP.
As a new engine for urban development, the cultural industry is promoting the all-round upgrading of the city through diverse industrial models. Guangzhou’s cultural industry boasts a prosperous landscape. Sectors such as news media, animation, esports, digital music, live streaming, cultural equipment, and ultra-high-definition video have achieved leading scale nationwide. It has built three 100-billion-yuan revenue cultural industry clusters, namely animation and games, creative design services, and cultural equipment and consumer terminal production.
Since the beginning of this year, Guangzhou has precisely fostered new growth drivers in the cultural industry. In the first three quarters, the operating income of the city’s above-scale cultural enterprises reached 477.63 billion yuan, a year – on – year increase of 8.6%. The operating income of 16 small industry categories with prominent characteristics of new cultural formats reached 239.76 billion yuan, a year – on – year growth of 14.3%.
Driven by Guangdong Province’s six major policy packages for the high-quality development of the cultural industry, Guangzhou’s cultural industry has achieved another leap forward. It has explored the “esports + urban culture” model, successively hosting esports carnivals such as the “Peak Showdown” International Championship, Tencent’s Dungeon & Fighter Mobile Game Carnival, and the Peacekeeper Elite JD Cup. It has also successfully attracted top esports teams like BLG and GZG to settle in Guangzhou. The BLG Valorant team won the 2025 VCT CN Annual Championship, while the GZG Peak Showdown team claimed the runner – up title in the China Masters Tournament.
By implementing a combined policy of “first performances, first shows and first launches” and deepening the approval reform of the “One – License – for – All for Culture, Tourism and Sports”, Guangzhou has attracted the leading brand Beijing Wa Chang to launch its first LiveHouse project in South China. Many artists including G.E.M., Mayday, and Jacky Cheung have held multiple concerts in Guangzhou, among whom 17 high-profile artists chose Guangzhou as the starting point of their national tours. From January to November, 108,000 commercial performances were approved, including 132 large-scale performances with audiences exceeding 5,000.
The film and television industry has accelerated its development. Guangzhou has issued the Measures for Promoting the Creation and Production of TV Dramas and Online Dramas and Films. Listed companies such as China Film Group Corporation, Enlight Media, Baina Qiancheng, Perfect World, and Huace Film & TV, as well as more than 20 leading enterprises and top talents such as 3D Vision Pictures, Xingge Media, Lemon Film & TV, and Arc Light Alliance, have settled in Guangzhou. Currently, there are 2,274 institutions in the city holding the Radio and Television Program Production and Operation License, accounting for nearly half of the total licensed institutions in Guangdong Province. A steady stream of high-quality film and television works have emerged. The film “The Sun Stands High” was shortlisted for the main competition section of the Venice Film Festival and won the Best Actress Award. The documentary “The Pearl River” received a warm response after being broadcast on CCTV’s Documentary Channel. The major revolutionary historical TV drama “Winds and Tides” is set to air on CCTV. More than ten projects, including the Guangzhou entrepreneurship-themed TV drama “Southern Breeze”, have received support for high-quality Guangdong literary and artistic works. The TV drama “Feast of Swallows” with the theme of Lingnan food culture has been included in Guangdong’s key literary and artistic project database. Over ten film projects such as “China Grand Hotel”, “Open Fire”, “Homecoming Tide”, and “Phoenix and Me” have been included in Guangdong’s key film project database, accounting for more than half of the total provincial key projects.
In terms of the cultural and creative industry, the operating income of creative design services in the city reached 114.194 billion yuan in the first three quarters of 2025, an increase of 24.7%. The brand “Guangzhou Gifts” has innovatively adopted the “trendy toys + intangible cultural heritage” model. It has opened 83 special stores themed around the National Games and launched hit products such as lion dance blind boxes. The sales volume of “Guangzhou Gifts” exceeded 37.14 million yuan from January to November.
At the opening ceremony of this session of the fair, several lists will be released, including “The Selection of Top 30 Guangzhou Cultural Enterprises”, “Top 20 Most Growth-Oriented Cultural Enterprises in 2025”, “Leaders in Guangzhou’s Cultural and Creative Industry Tracks in 2025”, and “Influential Enterprises of Guangzhou’s Cultural Export in 2025”. These lists aim to recognize the leading forces, innovative pioneers, and benchmark enterprises in cultural export of Guangzhou’s cultural industry, set examples for industrial development, and pool efforts for the progress of the industry.
Digital Equipment Exhibition for Culture, Commerce, Tourism and Sports: Focusing on Technological Empowerment and Equipment Upgrade
The Proposal for the 15th Five-Year Plan points out that “we should promote the integration of culture and technology, advance the digital and intelligent empowerment and informatization transformation of cultural development, and develop new cultural formats”. Against the backdrop of the accelerated breakthroughs in the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, this constitutes a significant measure to promote the high-quality development of culture and build a strong socialist cultural country.
The Digital Equipment Exhibition for Culture, Commerce, Tourism and Sports of this session of the Guangzhou Cultural Industry Fair (hereinafter referred to as the “Equipment Exhibition”) focuses on cultural technology and immersive experience equipment. It has attracted many industry leaders and innovative brands to participate. Some enterprises will bring practical products such as next-generation immersive experience cabins, AR/VR interactive spaces, and digital twin display platforms, creating a comprehensive cultural and tourism equipment exhibition area integrating technological display and experience. The exhibition covers five key sectors: digital creativity, integration of culture and tourism, cultural technology, cultural and creative IP, and cultural export, showcasing cutting-edge technologies and solutions.
As the intellectual core of the Equipment Exhibition, the key Cultural and Technological Equipment Exhibition Area focuses on digital cultural relic protection technology, new performance technology, and the application of cultural big data. For the first time at this session of the fair, a thematic exhibition area for cultural and creative IP has been set up in the Equipment Exhibition, serving as an “inspiration engine” and “cooperation accelerator” for the development and operation of cultural and creative products, IP authorization, and the integration of cross-border IP and digital art.
The cultural and tourism equipment sector has achieved remarkable results in previous sessions of the fair. This year, this exhibition area will create an immersive “dream – making space”. VR/AR interactive devices will allow visitors to “travel through” to historical scenes, such as the streets and alleys of the millennium-old commercial capital. Holographic projection combined with multimedia sound and light integration will transform static scenery and historical stories into perceptible and interactive dynamic scenes. Through situational simulation technology, an engaging visiting environment featuring in-depth participation and strong interaction will be created to enhance the fun and appeal of the exhibition.
The Equipment Exhibition features a rich array of supporting activities. Among them, the Digital Culture, Tourism and Sports IP Operation and Development Conference focuses on the innovative application of culture, tourism and sports IP and the collaborative mechanism for copyright protection. It invites representatives from enterprises such as Douyin PICO, 37 Interactive Entertainment, and Grandview Museum to share practical cases. The conference explores the incubation, empowerment, and monetization paths of culture, tourism and sports IP in the digital age, and showcases innovative achievements from the integration of copyright protection and digital technology.
The China Digital Culture and Tourism Resource Matching Conference will have experts from relevant departments including the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and the National Development and Reform Commission, as well as representatives from companies such as Ant Group, China Oriental Performing Arts Group, and KPMG in attendance to deliver special speeches. It will focus on presenting the development trends and typical cases in the field of digital culture and tourism.
International Culture and Tourism Trade Exhibition: Building a Comprehensive Industrial Trading Platform
The opening ceremony of the 15th National Games, which wowed the world, demonstrated the strong strength of “Made in Guangzhou”. The International Culture and Tourism Trade Exhibition of this session of the fair (hereinafter referred to as the “Trade Exhibition”) will build a comprehensive industrial trading platform based on the “culture and tourism + technology + consumption” model. The exhibition consists of two major pavilions – the “Global Premiere Venue” and the “Wanli Tire · Guangzhou International Trade, Investment, Culture and Tourism Pavilion”. Centering on “first launches, first exhibitions, and first orders”, it will organize supply and procurement matching events, signing ceremonies, and media interviews. It will also arrange targeted in-depth matching between buyer groups, industry associations, and platform parties to facilitate the implementation of cooperative outcomes. Up to now, the exhibition area has attracted many Fortune 500 enterprises and industry leaders, covering sectors such as cultural technology, IP content, film and television animation, intangible cultural heritage products, and destination and consumer brands.
As a key supporting activity of the Trade Exhibition, the Global Culture and Tourism Venture Capital Conference will serve as the general hub and kick-off event for the entire industrial chain activities of the International Culture and Tourism Trade Exhibition. Focusing on the efficient connection between capital and projects, the conference will specially gather decision-makers from top domestic and foreign cultural and tourism investment institutions, multinational corporations, and international organizations, striving to build a prime platform for in-depth dialogue between capital and projects.
After the opening of the Venture Capital Conference, the exhibition will hold a series of matching events and closed-door negotiations over three consecutive days. These activities will focus on multiple areas including the promotion of cultural and tourism consumption, the matching of high-quality foreign trade goods, the authorization of animation, games and trendy toy IP, cultural export and international cultural trade, and cultural finance and investment and financing services. The events will form a comprehensive agenda integrating policy interpretation, case sharing, and project matching. Meanwhile, the “Top Buyer Night”, which links exhibitors with targeted buyers, will drive project development through conferences and promote transactions through projects, facilitating the finalization of cooperation agreements.
Among these activities, the High-Quality Foreign Trade Commodity Matching Event closely aligns with the national “dual circulation” strategy. It focuses on three high-potential foreign trade sectors: cultural creativity, intelligent technology, and daily consumption. The event aims to build an integrated platform featuring precise supply and demand matching, full-chain resource integration, and global brand display. It will effectively integrate resources, realize the in-depth integration of cultural trade and the foreign trade industry, and create international development opportunities for enterprises.
The Trade Exhibition will also take the “Global Culture and Tourism New Year Shopping Festival” as its main scenario, integrating visiting, shopping, and entertainment. It will launch exclusive discounts from exhibitors and co-branded discounts with banks, centered on year-end travel and New Year shopping preparations.
In addition, the Wanli Tire · Guangzhou International Trade, Investment, Culture and Tourism Pavilion will set up the “Ice and Snow Market · Winter Wish Fair”. It will gather merchants specializing in cultural and creative products, handcrafts, and featured cuisine, and invite well-known local internet-famous handcraft brands in Guangzhou to settle in. With supporting activities such as fun games, film screenings, ice and snow scenes, check-in and stamp collection, and parent-child interactions, the fair will create a festive winter atmosphere.
The Global Premiere Venue will host the “Global Colorful Trendy Toy Exhibition”, bringing together high-quality trendy toy enterprises from the Philippines, Thailand and other regions, as well as local brands in Guangzhou. The exhibition will include sessions such as the launch of new products and interactions with creators, catering to diverse needs such as collection, socializing, and consumption, and further boosting on-site popularity and transaction volume.
2025 Guangzhou Film Expo: Two Major Pavilions Based on “Exhibition + Transaction”
Guangzhou’s unique urban cultural characteristics have made it a fertile ground for film creation and production, as well as a thriving hub for the film industry. From December 19th to 21st, the 2025 Guangzhou Film Expo will be held at the Guangzhou Yuexiu International Convention Center. Based on the positioning of “exhibition + transaction”, the expo will set up three core areas: the Film Industry Pavilion (1st floor), the Main Event Hall (2nd floor), and the Film Market Pavilion (3rd floor). With over 200 participating enterprises, it will gather abundant supply and demand resources, forming a complete closed loop of “display – connection – transaction”.
The Film Industry Pavilion focuses on technological empowerment and diversified experiences. It has gathered well-known enterprises such as BOE Technology Group and Barco China. The pavilion will showcase cutting-edge achievements including derivatives, AI/VR/XR technologies, and film and television technology. It will also feature a film camping area, a film-themed food zone, a VR immersive space, and a special zone for the Virtual Reality Association, aiming to build a platform for cross-border cooperation between film and television content IP and the pan-cultural industry.
The Film Market Pavilion has attracted many industry leaders such as China Film Distribution and Exhibition Corporation, Changchun Film Group Corporation, Guangdong Film Group Corporation, Bona Film Group, Maoyan Entertainment, and Alpha Animation and Culture. A special Greater Bay Area Pavilion has been established to showcase the film and television policies and resources of the “9 + 2” cities in the Guangdong – Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area. It will promote the development achievements of the film and television industry in the Greater Bay Area and highlight the prominent advantages of resource complementarity and transaction linkage among cities in the region.
It is reported that this session of the Guangzhou Film Expo emphasizes the “transaction” attribute and will hold enterprise promotion conferences and film project promotion conferences. It will provide exclusive promotion time slots for participating enterprises, encouraging exhibitors to step out of their booths to actively demonstrate their business strengths and promote key projects, thereby increasing their visibility and cooperation opportunities.
During the Film Expo, a series of “viral/widely popular” activities will be held, including five key events: the 2nd China Film Producers Honorary Ceremony, China Film Overseas Promotion Week, China·Guangzhou Literature-Film & Television Integration Development Matchmaking Conference cum Literature-Film & Television Copyright Trade Fair, the 2025 “Vitality Plan” International Venture Capital Conference, and the thematic film screening “Come to Guangzhou, Watch Movies”. Additionally, a series of supporting activities with rich content and diverse dimensions will be organized, building a bridging platform at the expo where “intentions can be reached through visiting exhibitions and transactions can be facilitated through negotiations”.
The grand feast of the Film Expo will be shared by the entire city. To enable citizens to immerse themselves in the charm of film and light, the expo has also meticulously planned an opening ceremony, the Film Expo Night, and the “Following Movies” cultural and tourism series activities. Through events such as film location check-ins, food carnivals, and VR/XR immersive experiences, it deeply integrates film culture with urban cultural tourism, creating a popular “film carnival” that is both entertaining and visually appealing.
