The 2025 China Digital Entertainment Conference opened on Thursday in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, as industry leaders pointed to rapid growth and expanding global reach across China's digital culture sector.

Organizers said the event is expected to support further development of the digital entertainment industry. China's digital entertainment market exceeded 1.75 trillion yuan ($248 billion) in 2024, creating numerous business opportunities.

The conference is themed "New Technology, New Model and New Format" and features a forum, a themed exhibition, and a carnival. Activities focus on AI, animation, gaming, and cultural and creative products, with interactive experience zones.

Dai Liumei, secretary of the Party committee of China Digital Culture Group, said China made notable progress in digital entertainment development over the past year. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Dai said the domestic gaming market surpassed 325.78 billion yuan in 2024, while international revenue reached a historic high of $18.56 billion.

She also noted that China's "new cultural trio" of web novels, web dramas, and online games continues to gain traction abroad. According to Dai, downloads of Chinese micro-dramas abroad have exceeded 55 million last year.

Dai said the cultural industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area has grown to more than two trillion yuan, providing a broad platform for cross-sector collaboration and global connectivity. She called for deeper collaboration among industry players by making use of the region's geographic advantages, improving coordination across the industrial chain, and fostering an open and inclusive industrial ecosystem for digital entertainment development.

Chen Jianrong, deputy Party secretary and head of Guangzhou's Tianhe district, said the district welcomes domestic and international companies to join hands with local authorities to advance high-quality industry growth.

"Taking the hosting of the China Digital Entertainment Conference as an opportunity, Tianhe will fully leverage its advantages in the concentration of high-end resources such as education, technology, talent, and finance, striving to build a modern industrial system that includes cultural creativity in the years to come," he said.