SFC Chief Correspondent Shi Shi at Shenzhen

Today Guangdong is not just an economic powerhouse of China. It’s also a hub for game industry in China and globally.

Guangdong's game industry generated ¥260.4 billion in 2024, accounting for 80% of China’s total game revenue. In addition, its export revenue reached ¥42.36 billion in 2024, with Southeast Asia, Japan, and the U.S. as key markets.

This is more than games. Nowadays, China’s cultural exports are evolving. No longer just made-in-China products, but made-of-China stories. And the new "troika" —micro dramas, video games, online literature, are leading the charge.

In 2023, the total revenue of China's online literature industry in the overseas market amounted to 4.35 billion yuan, a 7.06% year-on-year increase, according to a report from the China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association.

With a rich Lingnan heritage and a future-facing mindset, Guangdong is at the forefront of China’s cultural rise. Guangdong’s gaming giant Tencent’s PUBG Mobile has surpassed 1 billion global downloads. Kuro Games’ Ming Tide topped the iOS free chart in 107 countries and regions on its launch day. Animated IPs like Boonie Bears and GG Bond dominate screens from India to Türkiye. Webnovel, a leader in web literature, has 6800 translated works, including The Legend of the Condor Heroes, archived in the British Library. ReelShort achieved the highest Average Revenue Per Daily Active User among leading short-drama apps in 2024, with the US ranking among its top five markets for per-user revenue generation.

Behind every cultural hit is an industry — backed by policies, platforms, and people. Guangdong’s "Measures for High-Quality Game Industry Development” offers up to ¥5 million rewards for innovative projects. In addition, Guangdong released a major policy package including funding, talent cultivation, regulatory improvement, and infrastructure optimization to boost its cultural industry globally.

In Guangdong, tradition meets innovation, and the result is global impact. Despite the language barrier and cultural shocks, the musical “Yongchun”, Yingge Dance, Chinese folk music are becoming more attractive overseas. More and more people are getting familiar with Chinese culture and Lingnan culture through games, dramas and literature.

From to screen to software, Guangdong is reshaping how culture links countries and people— with creativity, technology, and heart.

Chief Producer: Yu Xiaona

Supervising Producer: Shi Shi

Editor: Li Yinong, He Jia

Reporter: Shi Shi

Videographer: Zhang Qiliang, Shi Shi

Video Editor: Cai Yutian

New Media Coordination: Ding Qingyun, Zeng Tingfang, Lai Xi, Huang Daxun

Overseas Operations Supervising Producer: Huang Yanshu

Overseas Content Coordinator: Huang Zihao

Overseas Operations Editors: Zhuang Huan, Wu Wanjie, Long Lihua, Zhang Weitao

Produced by: Southern Finance Omnimedia Group