Khorgos shows the way to Belt and Road cultural exchanges
Located along the ChinaKazakhstan border in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Khorgos has long been a crucial port for Chinese trade with Eurasian countries. However, few know that the border city, with a population of 85,000, is home to more than 600 film companies, many of which are owned by major Chinese film franchises and directors.
Favorable policies, such as low corporate income taxes, have attracted companies to the area and helped them develop, according to Wang Zhicheng, deputy head of the region’s administration of radio, film and television.
Companies based in Khorgos have generated more than 4 billion yuan ($580 million) in box-office sales, according to industry estimates. The city epitomizes the development of the film industry involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.
As the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was held in Beijing in midMay, with issues like economic cooperation playing a main role, the film industry is not shying away from the spotlight.
The 2017 Beijing International Film Festival in April featured a Belt and Road section for the first time.
The weeklong festival, celebrating its seventh anniversary this year, screened 13 films from countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, including Poland, Iran and the Philippines.
“Film is a crucial part of cultural exchange under the initiative,” says Zhang Hong, vicepresident of China Film Association.
“Interaction between people from the participating countries relies on the mutual understanding and respect of different cultures,” he says. “This can be achieved via films.”
In recent years, China has strengthened film industry cooperation with countries along the Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
China National Film Museum announced in April that, starting this year, it will work with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative to hold annual film events, including screenings, awards and exhibitions.
“The initiative has boosted China’s film industry, and will drive its next boom,” says Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University.
Controversy over The Great Wall, a blockbuster coproduced by China and the United States, which stars Matt Damon, revealed that the Chinese film industry has a long way to go.
Despite raking in more than 1.17 billion yuan in box-office sales, the film drew criticism around the country for flaws in plots, and a strange mixture of Chinese culture and Hollywood filmmaking.
However, for others, the film blazed a trail on a couple of levels and deserves more recognition.
“It’s the start of Chinese commercial films integrating with the international market,” said a person on Weibo, China’s microblogging platform. “That is the route that we must take to further integrate the cultures.”
Lao Zhiming, general manager of Huatai United Securities, stresses the role of sharing behind the Belt and Road Initiative, suggesting the cultural sector should make the most of such exchanges.
“We should introduce other advanced technologies and ideas from other countries, not only film,” he says. “The Belt and Road represents a platform for cultural sharing.”