8. The Silk Road International Film Festival

The Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF), founded in 2014, is held annually and alternates between Fuzhou and Xi'an under the guidance of the China Film Administration, with Fujian and Shaanxi provincial governments as the sponsors. Multiple activities of the recent 6th Silk Road International Film Festival took place in October in Fuzhou, including the launch ceremony, award ceremony, film screening, film forum, film market, and cultural activities for visitors. More than 160 outstanding Chinese and foreign films were shown in theaters in Fujian province, especially those from countries and regions along the Belt and Road, including Russia, Pakistan, Thailand, Italy, Slovenia and Indonesia. By providing an international platform for film exchange and trade, it strives to grow the film, television and related industries, continuously enhance the global influence of Chinese movies and create an international film festival with global influence.

In terms of its host cities, Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi province, which was the starting point of the ancient Silk Road. The province also has a great film tradition as many famous Chinese filmmakers and actors known the world over, such as Zhang Yimou, Gong Li and Chen Kaige started their careers at the Xi'an Film Studio. In recent years, Fujian province has also emphasized the development of the film industry as part of the cultural construction of the Belt and Road. With reform and opening up as the driving forces to promote cooperation, Fujian now has over 1,000 film enterprises.