Photo: Courtesy of Tencent Video

The ongoing Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) has returned after three years as a virtual trade show, with nearly 700 exhibitors from more than 25 countries and regions. Asia's largest and most influential film market has attracted over 330 studios and companies from the Chinese mainland whose film and TV series have been well-received at the show. 

Overseas markets including "South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Malaysia have shown great interest in Chinese TV and film productions," Wang Qiao, a vice president of production company New Classics Media, told the Global Times on Wednesday.  

Chinese period dramas have always had an appeal in the Asian market. Wang said that local partners have confirmed their intention to cooperate on the company's three dramas, The Legend of Shenli starring Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin, The Sun Is with Me starring Xiao Zhan and The Road to Ordinary. 

Due to the strong advantage of Chinese literature TV and film adaptations, production companies like New Classics Media hope to adapt popular novels from Japan and other Asian countries. 

China's major provincial studios are hosting pavilions to showcase their content, from TV series to documentaries in order to catch the attention of international distributors. 

Recording the 10 years of changes taking place in Pengyang county, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the documentary Western Countryside of China under the Camera at the Guangdong pavilion has captured visitors' attention with its realist topics and touching story of how local people have improved their living standards, their destinies and the appearance of their hometowns through hard work and wise planning. 

For Chinese streaming sites, FILMART is not only an annual event for communication and exchanges with the global film and television entertainment industry, but also an important platform for displaying excellent Chinese content. 

According to Li La from Tencent Video, their platform is actively expanding into the international communication space to make sure good Chinese stories can be spread far and wide. The platform's content includes Where Dreams Begin, a show about young people born in 1970s chasing their dreams during China's reform and opening-up; a documentary series about the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region, and Three-body, one of the most popular TV series in China and considered one of the best adaptions of Liu Cixin's novel The Three-Body Problem. 

Photo: Courtesy of NCM Television

Airing in countries like Japan, Vietnam, Russia and India, the sci-fi series has been well received as the number of views on Youtube has exceeded 7 million. It has also made history by earning a high score of 9.9/10 for a single episode of a Chinese series on IMDb, where it has an average rating of 7.9/10.

No matter if it is realist dramas or sci-fi shows, "they are rooted in Chinese culture and help overseas audiences learn about China, its fast development, great changes and over 5,000-year-long culture," added Wang.