Stories flow across borders

Xi'an, once the imperial capital of 13 ancient dynasties, marked the starting point of the Silk Road and is considered one of the cradles of Chinese civilization. With its rich history and cultural heritage, this capital city of Northwest China's Shaanxi province has long been a source of inspiration for audiovisual creation.

The Second Television Festival of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Countries was held in Xi'an from Tuesday to Thursday to foster audiovisual cooperation and promote people-to-people and cultural exchanges among SCO member countries. Under the theme of "Joining Civilizations: Audio-Video Creations for a Shared Future", the three-day festival focused on forums, content markets and exhibitions.

During the festival, the Joint Declaration of the 2025 Television Festival of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Countries was issued, advocating for the "Shanghai Spirit" (characterized by mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diverse civilizations, and pursuit of common development), strengthening innovation-driven cooperation, and taking cultural and people-to-people exchanges to new heights.

China currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO, an organization that also includes Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India, Pakistan, Iran and Belarus.

At the opening ceremony on Wednesday, Cao Shumin, director of China's National Radio and Television Administration, expressed hopes that SCO countries would deepen cooperation in coproduction, mutual broadcasting and the growing microdrama sector. She also emphasized the importance of technological empowerment in driving innovation across audiovisual formats and industries.

Three parallel sessions took place during the festival, namely, Audiovisual Industry Exchange and Cooperation, Convergence and Communication of Audio-Video Content, and Audio-Video Content Trade Market. These sessions gathered broadcasting and media professionals from SCO member nations for in-depth discussions on content collaboration and project promotion.

Vinod Kumar Meena, cofounder and chief operating officer of Kuku TV, a microdrama platform in India, said Chinese microdramas have entered India's content landscape with mobile-first, ultrashort storytelling formats.

"In 2025, Kuku, under the UPanda Cinema program in partnership with the China Intercontinental Communication Center, introduced a lineup of Chinese vertical dramas to the Indian market. Over 15 million views were recorded in the first few weeks of release on the Kuku platform," he said.

Lal Chand Bisu, cofounder and CEO of Kuku TV, highlighted the cultural similarities between China and India that have contributed to the popularity of Chinese microdramas, noting that genres like suspense and revenge are particularly well received. Bisu also expressed interest in deepening collaboration with Chinese partners, particularly in script adaptation and content localization. "Chinese scripts perform well in India. We plan to adapt these scripts for local production and distribution. We are also looking for high-quality microdramas. We will localize them with Indian subtitles and bring them to Indian audiences."

Amir Shayanmehr, head of the Beijing office of Iran's state TV, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, called for closer collaboration between the media sectors of both nations to enhance mutual understanding.

"China and Iran are both ancient civilizations with long histories. Yet, I believe there remains great potential to deepen cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the peoples of our two countries," he said.

Shayanmehr noted that while more Chinese films, documentaries, and TV dramas have been broadcast in Iran in recent years, Iranian productions have received comparatively less exposure in China.

"I hope the two countries can strengthen cooperation in coproductions, ranging from TV series to microdramas, covering subjects such as culture, cuisine and history," Shayanmehr said.

During the festival, over 40 cooperative outcomes in the audiovisual sector were unveiled. These included the animated series Our Ensemble, coproduced by China, Russia, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia and Armenia, and the "Silk Road 10,000-Mile Journey 2025: The SCO Route" — a collaborative event running from July to September cohosted by China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The second edition of the SCO TV festival also featured a China-SCO audiovisual cooperation exhibition, the SCO Night concert and a showcase of SCO member states' programming.

The audiovisual showcase, running from May to August, will screen Chinese productions such as A Love for Separation and The Tale of Rose on mainstream platforms in countries including Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia.

Meanwhile, more than 70 audiovisual works from SCO member countries and observer countries — including Travel with the Map from Uzbekistan, The Blacksmith's Sacred Anvil Ritual from Mongolia, and My City from Belarus — are being broadcast on satellite TV channels in provincial areas, including the city of Shanghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Jilin and Jiangsu provinces, and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. These works are also available on major streaming platforms like iQiyi, Youku and Tencent Video.