The 2026 China Golden Rooster & Hundred Flowers Film Festival opens in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Nov 6. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The 2026 Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival wrapped up in Xiamen on Nov 10, marking the eighth year since the event moved to the coastal city in 2019. During that time, the festival has done more than bring together movie stars: it has helped turn Xiamen from a convenient shooting location into a fully-fledged film production base.

From shooting location to production base

Before the festival arrived, Xiamen hosted hundreds of productions a year, but most crews packed up once shooting ended, leaving higher-value work such as post-production, distribution and copyright in other cities. 

The city uses the festival to promote investment year-round, holding events in Beijing and Shanghai and refining incentives for companies to register locally.

The results have been strong. Xiamen is now home to nearly 2,700 film and television companies, with industry revenue exceeding 20 billion yuan ($2.99 billion). Twenty-two specialized parks have clustered across the city, and major players including China Film Group, Enlight Media, Daylight Entertainment, and Douyin Culture have set up operations.

That clustering has shifted Xiamen from a service provider to an originator of content. Local companies were deeply involved in the 2026 Spring Festival hit Blades of the Guardians, which set a new box office record for Chinese martial arts films, as well as in TV dramas such as The Long Season and Minning Town.

New formats, local clusters

Xiamen is also branching into new formats. Districts have adopted differentiated roles: Siming focuses on AI animation and digital shorts, Huli on leading production companies and venture projects, Jimei on shooting facilities, Haicang on micro-drama review services, Tong'an on film-tourism integration, and Xiang'an on cross-Strait exchange.

A digital content lab opened by Volcano Engine has attracted 360 companies, nearly 90 percent of which are small or medium-sized.

From screen to city streets

The festival's value now extends into consumer spending. The Golden Rooster Film Life Season, running from Nov 6 to 30, offers a "film fan passport" that bundles discounts at more than 600 businesses and 20 commercial districts, alongside ticket-stub perks at partner attractions.

Backing talent from the start

Xiamen University's Li Xiaohong describes the effect as a shift from rewarding finished projects to supporting ideas from inception. Winners of the Golden Rooster venture capital competition can apply for the city's "Double Hundred" talent program and receive follow-on support. 

Director Zhong Kaifeng, whose film Atlantic won two Golden Goblet Awards in Shanghai this year, said the prize would have been impossible without the festival's scouting and Xiamen's backing.