Source: Annual Report on Cultural Development from China's Ministry of Culture [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

Fuelled by multiple factors, including economic transformation, strong government support, a broad internet access which allows for content creation and people's diversifying leisure demands, creative industries in China have witnessed a significant boost in recent years.

The Annual Research Report on Cross-Strait Creative Economy (2016) compiled by Xiamen University of Technology and National Taipei University of Education in Taiwan shows that China's creative economy has been quite competitive in the world.

The statistics show that in 2015, the cultural creative industry in Chinese mainland got an added value of 2.58 trillion yuan. While in 2014, the global export of cultural creative products was valued at $600.3 billion, out of which, the export of Chinese mainland surpassed $200 billion, occupying a market share of 33.71 percent in the world, taking the first spot.

The table above shows the number of cultural units and cultural practitioners from 2012 to 2016. The graph reveals that the cultural units and cultural practitioners witnessed an overall growth in numbers.