Shenzhen Sets Funding Rules for Games, Animation and Digital Creative Industries

Overview

On 10 April 2026 the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports published Operating Rules for the Digital Creative Industry High-Quality Development Project Support Programme (Shen Wen Gui [2026] No. 2). The rules take effect on 28 April and are valid for three years. Funding comes from the city's special fund for the culture and sports industries, and all support is granted after projects are completed.

The rules prioritise games, film and television, animation, micro-dramas, live performance and science fiction, and set eligibility conditions and funding standards for 20 support directions. Each applicant may submit one project per direction, and total annual support per applicant is capped at RMB 20 million.

Background

Shenzhen is home to game and internet companies led by Tencent, as well as manufacturers of toys and character merchandise, and its digital content industry is increasingly concentrated. In 2025 the city adopted measures to support the digital creative industry, and the new rules set out the procedures and standards for putting that support into practice.

In recent years Chinese games and short dramas have expanded overseas more actively, and policies supporting translation of works and participation in overseas exhibitions have become more common.

Key Points

Support direction (selected)	Main funding standard
Digital creative technology R&D and application	20% of investment, up to RMB 5 million (30% for projects mainly built on open-source HarmonyOS)
Game competitions and events	30% of core operating costs, up to RMB 5 million (conditions include at least 100 teams)
Large commercial shows and premium concerts	Up to RMB 600,000 per show and RMB 2 million per organiser per year
First stores	RMB 1 million for a first store in China, RMB 700,000 in Guangdong, RMB 500,000 in Shenzhen
IP creation and licensing	Up to 20% of licensing revenue, capped at RMB 1 million (at least five licences per IP and RMB 500,000 in licensing revenue)
IP derivatives and cultural products	Up to 20% of product revenue, capped at RMB 1 million
Translation and production of works	20% of actual costs, up to RMB 500,000 per work and RMB 2 million per entity per year (for Chinese games, films, animation and other works with overseas revenue of at least RMB 500,000)
Major art fairs and international exhibitions	50% of actual exhibition costs, up to RMB 300,000

The rules also provide revenue-based awards for new cultural business companies (up to RMB 3 million), one-off awards for digital creative clusters, support for the organisers and outstanding sub-venues of the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, and awards for national key cultural export enterprises and projects. Applications are made online under annual notices, and funds are paid after a seven-day public notice period.

Applicants must be registered in Shenzhen (including the Shenzhen-Shantou Special Cooperation Zone), with a main business within the covered industries. They must not be on the list of seriously dishonest entities, must have had no overdue or failed acceptance of government-funded projects in the past three years, and may not submit the same content to other municipal departments. The bureau will evaluate the performance of funded projects and use the results in future budgets and policy adjustments, and funds obtained by fraud will be recovered.

Implications for Japan-Shenzhen Exchange

Animation, games and character IP are areas of Japanese strength. Support for Shenzhen content companies' IP licensing, merchandise development and joint events may create more opportunities for collaboration with Japanese IP holders. Only entities registered in Shenzhen are eligible, but the policy may still affect Japanese companies through the Shenzhen firms that act as licensees.

Support for translating works and exhibiting at international fairs is drawing attention as a factor that could help Shenzhen-made games and video content reach the Japanese market. The first-store subsidy also relates to trends in new brand stores opening in Shenzhen.

Outlook

The rules take effect on 28 April. Application periods, the number of projects funded and maximum funding rates for each direction will be set out in annual application notices published by the bureau.

From the Association

The Association will continue to follow developments in Shenzhen's culture and content industries, and will keep working to provide a platform for cultural exchange between creators and companies in Japan and Shenzhen.