China's film industry emerges from outbreak with successful plot

HANGZHOU－Xu Xiao's busy day started when all the 80-plus horses on his horse farm were booked out for movie and television shoots at Hengdian World Studios, known as the "Chinese Hollywood", in East China's Zhejiang province.

"I have been engaged in the film industry for more than 30 years, and I have rarely been as busy as I am now," says Xu, manager of the horse farm at the studios, one of China's biggest film and TV program production centers and a barometer of the film industry.

This time last year, film crews needed a maximum of 30 horses each day.

Film shoots were suspended for several months in Hengdian due to the COVID-19 outbreak. With the epidemic waning, however, film and teleplay crews have been rushing back to resume production.

According to statistics from Hengdian World Studios, October saw 47 film and teleplay crews filming and 65 making preparations, a year-on-year increase of 67 percent and 41 percent, respectively.

Due to a surge in film shoots, extras are also in high demand.