Lianhe Zaobao:

Hollywood movies occupy a large market share in China. However, over the last couple of years, some Hollywood films have achieved great popularity overseas, but have not been able to enter China. Some people believe that the Chinese government has tightened its censorship on foreign films. What is your response to that? Will tensions between the U.S. and China affect the entry of Hollywood movies into China? Thank you.

Sun Yeli:

Thank you for your questions. Watching movies is a common hobby for many of us, and the topic of movies is indeed a good one for discussion. I will answer your questions. 

Over recent years, Chinese movies have made notable progress in terms of both quality and quantity as well as box office returns and public recognition. While meeting people's spiritual and cultural needs, movies have become a big market with huge potential and broad prospects. As far as I know, China has become the largest overseas market for American movies. Over the last decade, we have introduced many American movies, with the percentage taken up by those movies of the total number of imported movies reaching 41%, which is a really high number. These American movies have gained great box office returns in China as well. According to relevant statistics, 33 imported American movies have earned over 1 billion yuan in box office earnings in China, and five of them have earned over 2 billion yuan. Some American movies have even made bigger profits in China than in their home market. Therefore, it is understandable that people are concerned about this issue.

We have also noticed that the performance of American movies in the Chinese market has declined recently. I believe this could be due to many factors. For example, due to the impact of COVID-19, the production and distribution of films in various countries have been affected to varying degrees, slowing down the pace of exchanges of films around the world. This is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, as China's socio-economic development has rapidly improved, Chinese audiences' cultural appreciation, quality of life and aesthetic standards have also risen. The public have put forward new and higher requirements for film works. As a socialist market economy, we have been open to all countries around the world. We introduce films from whichever countries produce films that are better and more suitable to the aesthetic tastes of Chinese audiences. Therefore, we also hope that American films will continue to improve their quality on the basis of respecting cultural customs and audience habits, so as to better meet the expectations of Chinese audiences for more diverse and higher-quality films. 

I would like to stress that we have always been consistent in our principles, positions and attitudes toward exchanges on Chinese and foreign films. We have always been committed to cultural diversity, openness and inclusiveness, and actively introduce high-quality films that reflect the achievements of the world's civilizations. This is our clear and unwavering promise. Thank you.

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