New Policies for construction of national cultural export base unveiled in Xiamen FTZ

The national cultural export base, established in 2018 in the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, has adhered to a development model of cultural enterprise agglomeration.

As of December 2023, there were 2,780 cultural enterprises in the zone, with 2,099 companies registering there since its establishment.

The Xiamen FTZ has issued several policies on advancing the construction of the national cultural export base. The policies came into effect on Jan 1 of this year and will be valid until Dec 31, 2025.

A one-time reward of 200,000 yuan ($27,872) will be granted to cultural enterprises that are recognized as technology-advanced service enterprises in the current year.

This is the first time that the national cultural export base has provided support to technologically-advanced service enterprises, demonstrating its focus on the integration of digital and cultural development.

In order to encourage cultural enterprises to expand overseas, the policy specifies that Xiamen FTZ enterprises, as the first producers of online audiovisual works, TV series, and animations (excluding games and movies), are eligible for an award equal to 10 percent of the actual transaction amount when selling the copyright overseas.

The maximum award for each work is 500,000 yuan, and the maximum annual award for each company is 1.5 million yuan. Additionally, Xiamen FTZ enterprises organizing international cultural exchange activities abroad can enjoy a 50 percent subsidy for booth rental and publicity expenses, capped at 1 million yuan.

To promote the concentrated development of the cultural industry, cultural enterprises that began operating or producing on or after Jan 1, 2024 in the Xiamen FTZ will receive a 50 percent subsidy on office space rental expenses, capped at 40 yuan per square meter per month.