A batch of enterprises from South China's Guangdong province are showcasing their latest high-quality development achievements at the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair. It kicks off on Thursday and will run until May 27.

In recent years, Guangdong has strengthened digital empowerment and its creative drive. The province has also focused on improving the modern cultural industry and market systems, as well as established a new highland of digital culture and cultural creativity, and a model for cultural and tourism integration.

Official statistics showed that in the first quarter, Guangdong enterprises above a designated size — those with 20 million yuan ($2.76 million) or more in annual revenue — in cultural and related industries achieved operating revenue of 550.8 billion yuan, an increase of 11 percent year-on-year.

Of the total, the operating revenue of cultural goods manufacturing stood at 246.8 billion yuan, up 11.3 percent. Cultural services generated 228.3 billion yuan, up 8.4 percent.

Guangzhou and Shenzhen are the core cities of Guangdong in its cultural industry development. In 2023, the operating revenue of cultural and related industries above a designated size in Guangzhou, the provincial capital, reached around 558.2 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 15.9 percent.

In the same year, the added value of Shenzhen's cultural industries reached 275 billion yuan, accounting for about 8 percent of its GDP.

The Bai'etan Greater Bay Area Art Center opens its doors to the public in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, on May 1. CHINA DAILY

Shenzhen is home to more than 100,000 cultural enterprises, with more than 1 million employees. It has introduced and nurtured a number of nationally renowned companies in such sectors as creative design, animation and games, cultural tourism, high-end printing, and cultural equipment research and production.

Guangdong has been working to develop clusters of internationally competitive types of cultural businesses, according to the province's economic and social development plan (2021-25) and its outline for long-range objectives through 2035.

Over the past three years, the province has integrated the resources of upstream and downstream cultural companies and accelerated the construction of cultural industry parks.

On March 26, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism announced a new batch of national cultural industry demonstration bases as well as others passing review.

A total of 26 enterprises from Guangdong made the list, including 12 new ones such as Guangzhou Kugou Computer Technology and Foshan Acmetec Holdings.

Today, Guangdong boasts a well-developed cultural industry structure, with related enterprises spanning nine major fields and 146 subsectors. The province's culture-related foreign trade has also expanded to more than 160 countries and region. The province has cultivated a group of internationally competitive export companies and brands.

Moreover, Guangdong has been implementing a digital culture strategy to boost emerging industries. In 2023, the province's digital creative industry achieved operating revenue of more than 600 billion yuan, serving as a new pillar of its economy and a driving force for high-quality development in the cultural industry.

As digitalization becomes a development trend in cultural industries, new formats represented by the animation and game industry are empowering the inheritance and promotion of Lingnan culture, also known as Cantonese culture.

For example, Guangzhou-based 37 Interactive Entertainment, a top Chinese mobile game developer, has used Lingnan culture as game content or a source of inspiration in many of its products, attracting much attention from players.

According to a report on Guangdong's game industry development, the operating revenue of mobile games, computer games, web games and other kinds of games exceeded 245 billion yuan in 2023, accounting for nearly 81 percent of the national market share in China. Also, export revenue of its online games hit 38.54 billion yuan in 2023, up 4.1 percent year-on-year.