February 29, 2008 -- Hunan values the development of culture industry

By Rachel Liu

Hunan's culture industry generated 87 billion yuan (US$11.76 billion) in economic value last year, according to Hunan Provincial Bureau of Statistics, a major contributor to the province's economic growth.

The industry accounts for 7.5 percent of the region's GDP, according to official statistics -- 0.9 percentage points higher than last year.

In recent years, Hunan's cultural exports to the rest of China have been making a big impact. For instance, the Supergirl contest -- a Chinese version of American Idol -- was a significant and ground-breaking achievement for Chinese television. It included live broadcast, voting by mobile phones, and featured quirky and atypical characters. Another television export has been the television cartoon series Blue Cat.

The gross profit for the Supergirl contest in 2005, for example, was 17.79 million yuan (US$ 2.48 million), reported local media. As a result of programs like Supergirl, Golden Eagle Broadcasting System's Hunan satellite television channel has become the most-watched regionally-produced channel in China, with over 5.6 billion viewers. According to Golden Eagle, its programming also airs in the US, Japan, and Europe.

"The local government started developing its cultural industry earlier than other cities, which is the main reason why they are ahead," Hong Tian, executive manager of China International Culture Online, a Zhuhai-based local media covering cultural communication, told Emerging China.

"There is a mature entertainment chain and standardized management in Hunan`s cultural industry," Shaofeng Chen, professor of Institute for Cultural Industries of Peking University, told Emerging China. A prime example of this is Golden Eagle Broadcasting System, he said.

In general, domestic cultural industries have been attractive to foreign investors, including new media, training, exhibition, film, and television, he said. However, there are regulatory restrictions severely limiting foreign investment, he added.

"Besides the traditional cultural industries, there will be new growth areas in the future," Chen said. "For example, there are some new integrated media, popular exhibitions and cultural tourism."