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Digital creativity is not only a business card of China’s image, but also one of the main battlegrounds for first-tier and new first-tier cities to fight for the economy.
Wen Ba Jiuling WeChat public number Wu Xiaobo Channel
The movie Ne Zha 2 was a hit.
As of 19:00 on February 10th, the box office of Ne Zha’s The Magic Child of the Sea, including screenings and pre-sales, exceeded 8.4 billion yuan, making it the first film in Asia to gross more than one billion dollars, and one of the top 30 films in global box office history.
According to Lighthouse AI’s forecast, the movie’s final gross is expected to reach 11.04 billion yuan.
Nezha 2 The splash of riches brought about by the movie has stunned major cities.
The media in Tianjin Hexi District, Anhui Guzhen, Sichuan Yibin, Henan Nanyang, Sichuan Jiangyou and other places launched a public opinion war, all claiming to be Nezha’s hometown and producing evidence in a serious manner.
Anhui netizens claim that Nezha probably haunted the sea in Guzhen, Anhui Province, where there are also many Nezha-themed statues and wall paintings.
Yibin’s claim is abstract, stating that the Dragon Ridge Stone at the confluence of the Nanguang River and the Yangtze River was created from the bones of the Third Prince of the Dragon King, who was killed by Nezha.
In addition to the characters and plot on stage, the behind-the-scenes story of the movie has also attracted a lot of attention.
Chengdu Nanjing Shenzhen Hangzhou Beijing and other major cities have also come to give evidence.
Chengdu, needless to say, is home to the movie’s creative team, including the director, screenwriter, and voice actors. To a certain extent, Nezha 2 is made in Chengdu.
Chengdu sows the seeds, Beijing delivers the results.
Beijing-based Raytheon Media is the main investor and controller of Nezha 2, and it is this investor that has made the most money from the project.
According to public information, Ne Zha 2 has five producers, namely Chengdu Cocoa Bean Animation Film and Television Co. Chengdu Ziyi Realm Culture Media Co.
Among them, the legal representative of the colorful strip house is the chairman of the light Wang Changtian, so there are three of the five producers light system.
The other two, Cocoa Bean and Self Realm, are companies in which director Dumpling Yang Yu holds a stake. Dumpling has a 56% stake in Chengdu Cocoa Bean Animation and a 51% stake in Chengdu Self Realm Culture Media, and there are no co-producers for Nezha 2.
Light Media’s investment in Nezha 2 is around 60%, while Dumpling’s shareholding in the two companies is around 40%.
Media outlets have calculated that if Ne Zha 2’s revenues reach 9.5 billion yuan, Ray Media is expected to receive about 2 billion yuan.
In addition, shareholders are still giving money to Raycom. Since the release of Nezha 2, its share price has risen from 9,53 yuan to 16,75 yuan, and its total market capitalization has soared by more than 20 billion yuan.
Companies in Nanjing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Ningbo and other places are also involved in the production of Nezha 2, and local media outlets have published articles entitled “Nezha’s Flying High, Shenzhen’s Special Effects Seal the Deal Again”! These companies in Hangzhou have contributed 4 minutes to Nezha 2 in 4 months! Nezha and Shen Gongbao are now in Ningbo.
In a sense, Nezha 2 is driving a new round of urban warfare.
Core Cities Struggle for Industry
The victory of Nezha 2 was not achieved by a single city. It was a film and TV industrial product that took more than 4,000 people five years and $500 million to develop.
When interviewed by a reporter, Dumpling said that human geniuses emerge one by one, and it’s hard to hold on to just one, but I think it’s quite lively that so many people are working together.
The movie’s end credits list the names of 135 behind-the-scenes companies. From the business registration information, these companies mainly come from core cities such as Beijing Chengdu Shanghai Suzhou Shenzhen Hangzhou Wuhan Nanjing.
IP movies such as Nezha Nezha 2 Return of the Great Sage of the Journey to the West White Snake Rim of the Earth Wandering Earth Wandering Earth 2, and IP games such as Glory of the King Original God Black Myth Goku Yin Yang Shi are products of the fusion of digital science and technology and humanistic thinking, and embody the triumphs of China’s digital cultural and creative industries.
Digital culture and creativity is not only a business card of China’s image, but also one of the main battlegrounds for first-tier and new first-tier cities to fight for the economy. Cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xi’an, and so on, have formulated paths for the development of the digital economy, and actively created an atmosphere conducive to the development of the cultural and creative industries.
It is no coincidence that the Nezha movie series was born in Chengdu. Dumpling once confessed that Chengdu’s inclusiveness and rich cultural heritage provide a constant source of inspiration for creative work, while the government’s industrial ecosystem, with its many branches and leaves, has made it possible for technology to take hold.
When Dumpling first started his business in Chengdu, he received strong support from the Chengdu Digital New Media Innovation Incubation Base, from policy consultation, rent reduction and exchanges of training to business docking and project declaration. The Chengdu government provided Dumpling with nanny services.
In addition to the Nezha movie series, Chengdu’s digital technology companies have also produced phenomenal IPs in recent years, such as King of Glory, 100,000 Cold Jokes, and That Year’s Rabbit and Those Things.
Driven by these super IPs, Chengdu’s digital creative industry has made great progress. in 2023, the value added of Chengdu’s creative industry exceeded 250 billion yuan for the first time, a year-on-year increase of 13 9 , accounting for a share of GDP of 11 65 .
Giant posters of Nezha and Ao Beng unveiled at Chengdu Twin Towers
Cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou are also major industrial centers for digital cultural and creative industries in China.
With rich cultural resources and strong technological support, Beijing is at the forefront of digitally empowered cultural industries, with classic cases such as the Digital Forbidden City, the Great Wall in the clouds, and other projects. Data show that in the first half of 2024, Beijing’s cultural enterprises realized operating revenues of 1,043.48 billion yuan, up 7 9 year-on-year.
Shanghai maintains a leading position in all segments of the digital culture industry, with the online game industry accounting for one-third of the country’s sales revenue, and the revenue from e-sports events accounting for nearly half of the domestic market. In order to pull up the related industries, Shanghai has also established a national leading digital cultural and creative intelligence calculation center.
Guangzhou’s digital cultural power should not be underestimated. As of February 2023, there were more than 2,900 digital music and related enterprises in Guangzhou, and the total output value of digital music accounted for about 14% of the country’s. In the field of VR, as of August 2023, Guangzhou’s VR amusement equipment products have accounted for 20% of the global market.
Although young, Shenzhen’s cultural entrepreneurial atmosphere is also very strong, fostering a number of digital creative leaders such as Tencent Jibit Huaqiangfangte, and emergence of classic IPs such as Bears Black Myth Wukong.
Hangzhou has the first city of digital economy and national historical and cultural city double identity, in the field of digital culture and creativity is quite established. According to the Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio and Tourism, in 2023, the city’s digital culture and tourism five industries revenue totaled about 860 billion yuan.
Digital scrolls at the Hangzhou West Lake Cultural and Creative Conference
These city administrators hope to attract the attention of young people and bring in foreign capital and talent by publicizing the fruits of cultural and creative endeavors.
Any industry is all about the talent aggregation effect, and the digital cultural and creative industry is no exception. After Nezha 2 exploded in popularity, Chengdu became the center of attention for the entire digital creative community. A group of aspiring young people who are keen on making games, movies, TVs and cultural IPs began to move westward.
The development of digital creative industries and the creation of pop-ups is one of the means by which such cities can win the war for talent.
Third- and fourth-tier cities grabbing tourists
Comparatively speaking, for third- and fourth-tier cities, using Nezha2 to grab tourists is a different story.
Around digital culture IPs, high tier cities are grabbing digital culture talents and resident population, while low tier cities are competing for cultural and creative fans and mobile population.
When the Black Myth Wukong game exploded in popularity, the tourism industry in places where the game was set, such as Xi County in Shanxi, Ziyang in Sichuan, and Qianshan in Anhui, exploded.
Tourists in Xi County Xiao Xitian playing card
2024 National Day holiday, driven by the Wukong flow, Shanxi tourism fever is unprecedented, receiving about 36.5 million domestic tourists, an increase of 84 99 over the same period of the previous year Visitors total tourist expenditure of 22.6 87 billion yuan, an increase of 101 85 over the same period of the previous year.
The popularity of the small west sky scenic area in Xi County is the most prosperous, the number of tourists exceeded the scenic area to receive the upper limit, appeared the vice governor of the scene singing cultural and tourism director to play the Tang Monk to welcome the guests and other wonders.
Today, half a year later, a similar story is being played out again. Yibin, Sichuan, Tianjin, Hexi, Sichuan, Jiangyou, all of which are associated with the background of the Nezha story, have reaped the dividends of Nezha2.
According to data from Tongcheng Travel, hotel bookings in the Cuiping district of Yibin, which is home to attractions such as the Nezha Palace and the Nezha Cultural Experience Center and Nezha World of Fun, have risen by more than 34 percent.
Since February, the number of hotel bookings in Tianjin’s Hexi district, which is home to Nezha’s townscape, has risen by 60% compared to the same period last year.
Jiangyou’s Qianyuan Mountain, where Nezha learns from his teacher, has seen a sharp rise in the number of tourists recently, making it a top destination for this year’s Spring Festival.
In the first week of February, hotel bookings at the Nezha Temple scenic spot in Nanyang, Henan Province, nearly doubled from the same period last year.
This is just the beginning. As the heat of Nezha2 continues to amplify, these areas are looking forward to a pleasant surprise in terms of traffic during the Qingming May Day holiday.
Nezha’s Magic Boys in the Sea: The Heat Is On!
Developing tourism with the help of cultural IPs is the dominant narrative in Chinese cities, especially in lower tier cities.
Cultural heritage sites, historical buildings, religious sites, folk cultures, celebrity residences, revolutionary stories and other cultural resources can all be used as signboards for local tourism development. Even a fictional character like Nezha needs a home in the real world to attract tourists.
In recent years, the cultural tourism industry has become the savior of many small cities. Small cities that used to rely on real estate and infrastructure are in dire need of new economic growth.
Real estate, small cities in the short term can not see signs of rebound. According to the Central Index, in January this year, the third and fourth tier cities have not changed the trend of price for volume, and the price of new homes fell by 0.14 year-on-year.
In terms of major infrastructure, many small cities are still tightening their belts, and it is not possible to build as much as in the past.
Secondly, from the point of view of market demand, traveling to small counties also fits the current consumer mentality, which focuses on cost-effectiveness, but also wants to experience the difference.
Once again, exposure, WeChat video number Shake Shake Shake Hand Little Red Book B station and other platforms have also adjusted the algorithm mechanism, will give the small town tourism related content to allocate more public domain traffic, thus holding fire one after another Netroots city.
Conclusion
Cultural IP and city resources are mutually beneficial.
In the era of attention scarcity, every city attaches great importance to image publicity work, and they all want to do city marketing work with the help of explosive IP.
Citizens of Chengdu visit the Nezha movie statue
Pop-up IPs can not only bring huge traffic to lower-tier cities and fire up the local tourism industry, but also provide better publicity opportunities for cultural and creative enterprises in higher-tier cities, attracting more excellent talents and first-class enterprises.
The higher the GDP per capita The higher the level of education per capita, the greater the influence of cultural IP. At a time when emotional value is constantly being amplified, many people will fall in love with a city because of a pop-up IP.
On the other hand, pop-up IPs cannot be separated from the nourishment and cultivation of city resources.
Imagine if there were no Sichuan dialect, Sichuan hot pot, Sanxingdui relics and other Sichuan elements, the charm of Nezha 2 would have been greatly reduced If there were no support from the Shanghai Municipality’s special fund for promoting the development of the animation industry, there would not have been a Mihayou Company and the Original God Game.
Without the support of the Shanghai Municipal Special Fund for the Development of the Animation Industry, there would be no Miha Tour Company or Original Spirit Games. Cities breed IPs, and IPs fire up cities.
By Rao Zubian Editor-in-chief Xu Tao
Editor-in-chief He Mengfei Source VCG
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