The Global Expansion of Chinese Film and Television: From "Single Blockbusters" to "Systematic Breakthroughs"

　　When Chinese film and television crosses mountains and seas to enter the overseas international market, what kind of Chinese-language works do audiences prefer? In the face of cultural differences, how can Chinese-language content achieve global resonance? When going global shifts from "single-point blockbusters" to "systematic breakthroughs," what new opportunities does the Chinese film and television industry encounter?

　　According to the relevant data of the "IQIYI International 2025 Global Content Hit List," in 2025, the playback volume of IQIYI International's content increased by 114.5% year-on-year, and Chinese-language content was the core driving force behind this growth.

　　Zhu Xinmei, the director and researcher of the Institute of International Communication at the Development Research Center of the National Radio and Television Administration, pointed out that the biggest highlight of this list is that more types of Chinese-language programs are achieving good international communication results, and Chinese online platforms have also broken through the Southeast Asian market and expanded to high-value markets. "This is an inevitable result of years of accumulation in Chinese content production and platform international communication."

　　The realization of this leap离不开 the coordinated efforts of content, technology, and operation in a trinity.

Build a New Matrix of Going-Global Content

　　From the perspective of communication characteristics, the "IQIYI International 2025 Global Content Hit List" presents a diverse situation where dramas lead, animations break through, movies contribute, and short dramas supplement. "Chinese online audio-visual platforms already have strong international communication capabilities and can empower different program types. High-quality content will also bring new traffic to the platform, further strengthening the integrated development trend of content platforms." Zhu Xinmei said so.

　　In the top 10 of the annual Chinese-language drama hit list of the "IQIYI International 2025 Global Content Hit List," the themes cover multiple genres such as urban romance, xianxia fantasy, and mystery investigation. "Love You," which ranks first, skillfully combines traditional Chinese medicine culture with modern love narratives, allowing overseas audiences to subtly accept Eastern culture while enjoying the romantic story. "White Moon and Starry Sky" has become the most popular Chinese xianxia drama among overseas users on the platform with its down-to-earth and anti-routine plot. "Record of Morning Snow" topped the Google popularity list in five markets including Thailand and South Korea with its dual-line narrative of "episodic mystery investigation + growth and revenge," demonstrating the cross-cultural appeal of the mystery genre. Many works such as "Smile with the Song" and "A Dream in the Book" have also continuously gained fans in multiple global markets with their unique Eastern aesthetics, emotional themes, and wonderful plots.

　　In the field of Chinese animations, "Spirit Martial Continent" topped the Chinese animation hit list of the "IQIYI International 2025 Global Content Hit List" with its热血 growth narrative and grand worldview. Works that integrate modern elements such as "Urban Ancient Immortal Doctor" and "Super Cube: Extraordinary Chapter" also successfully made it onto the list. Among them, "Super Cube: Extraordinary Chapter" also topped the non-drama content list in the United States on this list, becoming a representative of popular Chinese animations in the North American market. In the field of movies, movies related to the theme of "Ne Zha" occupied the top three spots on the Chinese movie list. The playback volume of "Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child" was nearly three times that of the top non-Chinese movie. The spiritual core of "I control my own destiny" transcended cultural boundaries, allowing the Chinese mythological IP to continue to ferment globally. Overall, the key to the breakthrough of Chinese animations and movies lies in grasping two key points: emotional resonance and visual innovation. They not only retain the characteristics of Eastern culture but also meet the aesthetic and emotional needs of global audiences.

　　Data provided by IQIYI shows that in the second quarter of 2025, the membership revenue from the viewing time of IQIYI's overseas short dramas increased significantly month by month. As of the end of June 2025, short dramas had become the second-largest membership attraction category in the markets of Indonesia, South Korea, and Brazil. Industry insiders analyzed that the explosion of short dramas stems from the platform's accurate insight into the viewing habits of overseas users, the targeted launch of short drama content, and the rapid completion of translation, dubbing, and promotion in combination with AI technology, enabling this new category to penetrate various markets in a timely manner.

Create a New Paradigm for Localized Communication

　　Why has the content going global achieved fruitful results? In Zhu Xinmei's view, two aspects of exploration are worth noting: One is to strengthen content construction, enrich program types such as dramas, movies, animations, and variety shows according to the viewing needs and preferences of different markets, and at the same time purchase programs from other countries such as Thai and Korean dramas. The other is to strengthen localized language translation and dubbing to effectively bridge the cultural gap.

　　In IQIYI's view, localization is not simply language translation but "cultural adaptation." It is necessary to integrate Chinese-language content into the local cultural context and living scenarios, making overseas audiences feel a "familiar sense of strangeness." This concept has been fully practiced in the Southeast Asian market. In Thailand, 8 out of the top 10 locally popular dramas on IQIYI International are Chinese dramas dubbed in Thai. Animations such as the Thai-dubbed versions of "The Great Ruler Annual Series" and "Supreme Being" have also made it onto the list of popular non-drama content in the local area. The top 8 on the short drama hit list are also all in the "Thai-dubbed version." When promoting the drama "Double Track" in Indonesia, the platform carried out a "Avocado Juice vs. Black Tea" taste resonance activity in combination with the local food culture, customized exclusive greetings in Indonesian, and learned to dance local dances, further narrowing the distance with local audiences.

　　The user preferences vary significantly in different markets. The "IQIYI International 2025 Global Content Hit List" shows that the North American market presents diverse consumption characteristics. Users prefer diverse themes and high-quality productions. The top 10 popular dramas in the United States consist of 6 Chinese dramas and 4 Thai dramas. Chinese animations occupy 9 spots on the non-drama content list, which not only satisfies the local users' curiosity about special themes such as Eastern fantasy and mystery investigation but also meets their general pursuit of high-quality content. East Asian users pay more attention to plot logic and emotional expression. Mystery dramas such as "Record of Morning Snow" and "Carefree Crossing" are very popular in Japan and South Korea. Korean fans not only spontaneously share their viewing experiences but also travel to the shooting locations of the dramas, forming a closed-loop communication of "drama viewing + cultural and tourism." Users in the Middle East and North Africa prefer positive and powerful content. Works with military elements such as "Fire School for Heroines," "Falling in Love with a Special Forces Soldier," and "White Olive Tree" are widely praised.

　　Technological empowerment also provides support for localized communication. IQIYI combines AI technology to edit and translate "grassroots promotion" videos, which can significantly improve communication efficiency and reduce operating costs. AI can quickly adapt to the languages and aesthetics of different markets and generate promotion content that meets the preferences of local users, enabling dramas to achieve cross-cultural communication in a more acceptable way.

Broaden New Paths for Chinese Film and Television to Go Global

　　How to sustain the good momentum of Chinese-language film and television works going global? Zhu Xinmei emphasized four key aspects: Adhere to the principle of content supremacy, create high-quality works, and strengthen the international communication of animations and variety shows. Strengthen the international communication capabilities of platforms, increase investment in AI translation and dubbing to reduce costs and expand the scale. Strengthen international cooperation, purchase overseas programs, and jointly produce local programs. Strengthen social media marketing and offline activities to improve the visibility of programs in various regions.

　　High-quality content is the core foundation for going global. From dramas such as "Love You," "Record of Morning Snow," and "Double Track" to movies such as "Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child" and Chinese animations such as "Spirit Martial Continent," the fundamental reason why these works have been recognized overseas lies in their high-quality production, unique Eastern aesthetics, and emotional expressions that can resonate. Yang Xianghua, the president of IQIYI's overseas business, said, "More than half of the platform's traffic and revenue come from TV dramas produced in mainland China."

　　In addition to the core of content, expanding overseas influence through ecological synergy, promoting local production, and international cooperation is also an effective path. In 2025, IQIYI International broadcast nearly 30 local dramas in Thailand and more than a dozen in Malaysia, all of which were locally produced. This locally produced content not only serves the local market but also reaches regions such as North and South America through IQIYI's global distribution network. At the same time, it uses AI technology to improve communication efficiency and continuously expands brand influence through cooperation with local operators, holding offline activities, and promoting artists overseas.

　　IQIYI's financial report shows that from 2021 to the third quarter of 2025, the overseas business has maintained continuous and rapid growth. In the third quarter of 2025, the year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter growth rates of the total revenue reached a new high in the past two years. In 2025, on the basis of mature markets such as Southeast Asia and North America, IQIYI newly explored markets in the Middle East and Latin America, further expanding its overseas business map.

　　A relevant person in charge of IQIYI said that in 2026, it will adhere to a long-term development strategy, use the profits from profitable markets to support the cultivation of new markets, form a virtuous cycle of "content production - global distribution - user interaction - industrial feedback," build a global collaborative network, and drive more Chinese production institutions to go global together.

(Source: People's Daily Online   Editor in charge: Yuan Bo, Zhao Xinyue)