China's largest studio backlot Hengdian World Studios is leveraging its resources to capitalize on the booming vertical drama trend sweeping the country, attracting an increasing number of vertical drama crews with an optimization of its sets tailored for the genre.
The backlot has welcomed more than 600 vertical drama crews in the first quarter this year, more than half of last year's total 1,100 crews.
Huaxia Cultural Park, a production base for costume dramas in Hengdian, now hosts dozens of vertical drama crews every day.
"Both the sets and our costumes are becoming increasingly refined. The industry is clearly maturing toward higher production quality," said actor Xia Jinmu.
"Hengdian [now] offers more supporting services and access to massive pools of extras and crew. It's truly a treasure trove for short-form production," said a vertical drama director named Gao Bo.
Huaxia Cultural Park has dozens of specialized sets for various vertical drama genres, and it plans further upgrades to meet growing demand.
"Beyond our costume and modern sets, we're seeing growing demand for virtual production stages. We'll be investing in virtual sets for vertical dramas in the second half of this year," said Shen Tuhang, staff of Huaxia Cultural Park.
China's largest studio backlot adapts to vertical-screen trend amid micro drama booms
China is willing to strengthen communication, enhance trust, eliminate interference, and deepen cooperation with Canada to bring bilateral relations forward on a steady and sound track in solid strides under the new circumstances, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Thursday.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, met with Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand in Beijing on the day.
Referring to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to China, the first by a Canadian prime minister in eight years, Wang said the trip marks a milestone in bilateral ties and signals a turning point in the relationship.
The leaders of the two countries will hold meetings and talks, which are expected to open up new prospects for bilateral relations, said Wang.
The world today is undergoing profound and complex changes, and the impact of China-Canada relations transcends the bilateral scope, Wang noted.
Wang said that China and Canada have different social systems, stemming from different historical and cultural heritage, and based on the choices of their respective people.
He urged both sides to view each other in a rational and amicable manner with an inclusive mindset, handle issues on the basis of mutual respect, focus on the agenda of cooperation, and send positive messages so as to foster optimism, inject greater confidence into the development of bilateral relations, and jointly build a new type of strategic partnership between China and Canada.
Anand said the new Canadian government attaches great importance to relations with China. She also added that Prime Minister Carney looks forward to engaging in in-depth exchanges with Chinese leaders during the visit to set the course for the development of bilateral relations, resume dialogue in various fields, pursue more mutually beneficial outcomes, enhance coordination and cooperation in multilateral affairs, and further advance the strategic partnership between the two countries.
China ready to work for steady, sound ties with Canada: FM
