Xiamen is a city that boasts a long history of a booming film industry. Since 2019, the China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flower Film Festival has been held in Xiamen every year, which has attracted a great number of film enterprises to set up in Xiamen.
As of December 2022, there were a total 2,287 film enterprises located in Xiamen, and their registered capital stood at 17.41 billion yuan ($2.52 billion).
The history of Xiamen's film industry dates back to 1905 when the first movie was screened in Gulangyu Island.
In the 1920s, Xiamen's film industry saw a boom. Siming Theatre and Sanchun Theatre were among the many theaters built during that time because Xiamen locals loved going to the movies.
Films produced in the Xiamen dialect significantly outnumbered those produced in Putonghua (Mandarin) from the 1930s to the 1950s, and more than 400 films were produced within the two decades.
Currently, Xiamen is the filming location for about 300 movies and TV shows every year. It makes sense why some claim that Xiamen is involved in 60 percent of Chinese films.
A scene from Ping-pong of China, a film shot in Xiamen. [Photo/WeChat account: touzixiamen]
Different from other cities that are famous for filming locations, Xiamen integrates elements such as hotels, restaurants and recreational facilities to make the whole city a movie set. At the same time, Xiamen has strived to incorporate its film elements into the tourism industry to build a unique "maritime film city" in China.
China announced and implemented on May 15 a policy allowing visa-free entry of foreign tourist groups aboard cruise ships via all cruise ship ports along the country's coastline.
China and Georgia are set to waive visa requirements for travelers starting May 28.
