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.