China’s $8 billion film hub looks to SA for co-productions and sales
Shandong’s status as an emerging force in the global film and television industry was on show at an event in Adelaide on Thursday, highlighting the opportunities and technical facilities of “Hollywood in the East”.


China Movie Metropolis Photo: Xinhua/Guo Xulei
A presentation by the Shandong Provincial Radio and Television Bureau to some of SA’s film industry has shone a spotlight on China’s own booming industry and the production opportunities in Shandong Province.
China’s industry has been supercharged since the opening of the A$8 billion China Movie Metropolis (CMM) in Qingdao, Shandong in 2018.
The province is now home to more than 2500 film and television production companies and over 140 broadcasters.
It has produced many of the country’s most watched and award-winning TV dramas, including Ordinary Happiness, Always On The Move and Imperfect Victim, while documentaries like Chasing Tuna in the Ocean and the National Geographic co-production Life at the Yellow River Delta have garnered widespread acclaim.
Shandong Provincial Radio and Television Bureau director Li Jianhua spoke about film serving as a “bridge and bond” for cultural exchange.
“Expanding international perspectives and deepening cooperation with countries around the world have become an inevitable trend in film and television creation,” she said.
“It is particularly worth noting that in recent years, Shandong’s cultural sector has flourished, with the film and television industry advancing rapidly, making the province a true treasure trove of cinematic resources.”
The CMM film production hub has birthed blockbuster movies, such as director Frant Gwo’s sci-fi The Wandering Earth and its sequel, which grossed respectively a cool A$966 million and A$830 million at the box office.
China is now the world’s largest film market, with an annual box office of around A$11 billion. More than four out of every five tickets purchased there are for Chinese-made films.
CMM’s 170-hectare, world-class production facility includes 40 state-of-the-art studio stages, two permanent underwater stages, including the largest exterior tank and bluescreen in Asia, and a 20,000sqm post-production centre.
Qingdao is also home to the 5G High-Tech Video Experimental Park, a world-class hub for the 5G video industry.

L-R: Gao Lei, Deputy Director, Weihai Radio and Television Station; Ma Kai, Deputy Secretary, Jinan Radio and Television Station; Zhu Jun, Senior Editor, Shandong Radio and Television Station; Bi Shenglei, Deputy Director, Publicity Department of Weihai Municipal Committee; Li Jianhua, Director-General, Radio and Television Administration of Shandong Province; Li Dong, Consul General of PRC in Adelaide; Kate Croser, SAFC; Becc Bates, DPC; Shenjun Wang, Chief Representative, Shandong Business Office in Oceania
South Australian Film Commission CEO Kate Croser spoke about SA’s filming incentives, as well as its sister state relationship with Shandong, calling it “deeply valued”.
“The fruitful cultural relationship has led to exciting screen industry outcomes, including Chinese South Australian CO production TV series Chef Exchange – made by South Australia’s 57 films across Adelaide and Qingdao and aired on Qingdao TV,” Croser said.
“South Australian screen creatives have also worked on some of China’s biggest box office hits, like The Eight Hundred – China’s 19th highest grossing film of all time – which featured visual effects work by South Australia’s Rising Sun pictures supported by the South Australian Film Corporation’s SA PDV [post-production, digital and visual effects] rebate.”
For those looking to film in Shandong, the province offers a long cultural history that is reflected in its historic buildings, bustling cities of skyscrapers, and naturally beautiful coastal and mountain locations.
Chinese director Jun Zhu praised CMM’s facilities, where she shot the historical re-enactments for her Confucius documentary Spring and Autumn in one of the vast studio stages.
Zhu is currently in pre-production on a documentary about Australian Rick Pisaturo, an Italian ex-POW who went on to become one of Australia’s most successful beef pioneers.
Adelaide was the third stop for the Shandong Provincial Radio and Television Bureau delegation, who also met with government and industry figures in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland.
The Bureau’s Li spoke of filming incentives and her desire to see greater collaboration between Australia and Shandong on TV dramas, films, online TV series and documentaries.
“During this visit to Australia, we have deeply experienced the tremendous advantages of Australia’s audio-visual industry, including its stunning natural landscapes, favourable developmental policies, and advanced film and television production technologies,” Li said.
“This is also an opportunity for Shandong to connect more deeply with the international market, helping more of our films to reach global audiences and telling the stories of China and Shandong to the world.
“We warmly invite Australian film companies to visit Shandong for filming, production and investment, and to share the countless opportunities available.”