Star-studded locations

Chinese actor Jing Dong in Antwerp, Belgium, during shooting for Mr Right, a serialized love story, in August. [Photo by Fu Jing/China Daily]

According to the Foreign Ministry's consular department, there are 26 countries or areas offering visa-free travel and 39 offering visa-onarrival policies for Chinese people visiting for business or pleasure. More are being negotiated.

As well as seeking out attractive locations, Chinese film producers are also looking to form partnerships to ensure a deeper level of cooperation with other countries.

The first Sino-Kazakh coproduction, Composer, tells the little-known story of the late Chinese composer Xian Xinghai's last years (1940-45) in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, and Moscow. It has begun filming in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan.

A contract has been signed for Where the Sava Flows, the first Sino-Serbian documentary coproduction. Writer Chen Danyan will be the director, telling how this land has suffered but its people remain optimistic.

With more frequent and in-depth cooperation in the forthcoming years, interaction between the movie and tourist industries will continue to develop under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, further enhancing exchanges and connectivity between people from different countries.

"When TV series or shows film overseas－whether they just want a foreign location or they are coproductions－they can promote cultural exchange and show local views and customs to Chinese audiences," Guan says. "However, I would also like to show the way of life in different parts of the world."

Zhao Ruinan and Pan Mengqi contributed to this story.