The value added of Hangzhou’s cultural and creative industry reached 304.1 billion yuan ($48.07 billion) in 2017, with a year-on-year growth of 19 percent. The value added from the cultural and creative industry has increased by a factor of six over the past decade. The output value of the cultural and creative industry is 24.2 percent of Hangzhou’s GDP, indicating that its position as a pillar industry has been well established.

Hangzhou achieved 10 breakthroughs in the cultural and creative industry in 2017: Baimahu Ecological & Creative Town was selected as one of the first National Culture Industry Demonstration Zones; the first China network writer village was established; construction of a national music base in Xiaoshan district was approved; the management committee of China (Zhejiang) International Cooperation Zone of Film and Television Culture Industry, which is known as “the new Silicon Valley of film and television” , was launched; Hangzhou was designated a national cultural consumption pilot city; the China International Cartoon & Animation Festival and the Hangzhou Cultural & Creative Industry Expo achieved good results, jointly attracting 1.65 million people; MIP cooperated with Hangzhou for the first time; a total of four enterprises were nominated as “Top 30 Cultural Enterprises”; the Hangzhou Britain Cultural Creative Industry Communication Center was officially established; and a new policy for the animation games industry was promulgated. These breakthroughs indicate the great potential of the cultural and creative industry in Hangzhou.

More excellent works and local brands are needed to showcase the features of Hangzhou’s cultural and creative industry. The Bologna illustration exhibition, opening in Hangzhou in November 2017, brought 386 original works by 77 top illustrators from all over the world, as well as classic works from 50 masters during the past half century, gaining enormous popularity.