Qianhai's local IP Nailoong goes viral on global market

As the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone marks its 16th anniversary yesterday, one of the area’s homegrown creative brands is gaining fresh momentum overseas. 

Seventh Impression Entertainment (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd. has established an overseas office in Jakarta, Indonesia early this month. The move marks a shift for its hit intellectual property, “Nailoong,” from simply distributing content abroad to developing localized operations in international markets. It also represents an important step in Qianhai’s broader effort to bring its cultural brands to Southeast Asia.

A giant inflatable model of Nailoong placed at Qianhai Stone Park draws tourists’ attention. Photos courtesy of Seventh Impression unless otherwise stated

Seventh Impression has accelerated its overseas expansion in recent years, offering a snapshot of the growing international reach of Chinese animation. Since 2025, the company’s original animated series “Nailoong’s Bizarre Adventure” has been translated into 15 languages and distributed in 57 countries and regions, reaching an estimated 200 million viewers worldwide.

In Indonesia, the series premiered on SCTV and Vidio, one of the country’s leading streaming platforms, giving it both a television and streaming launch in the market. The show was nominated for Best Children’s Program at the 30th Asian Television Awards and won the Golden Angel Awards for Best Animated Series at the 21st Chinese American TV Festival. The accolades have helped establish the series as a prominent vehicle for bringing Chinese culture to international audiences.

The company’s roots in Qianhai have provided both an environment conducive to innovation and a strong foundation for growth. Based in Qianhai, Seventh Impression operates across animation, media, film and television, and gaming, with intellectual property at the center of its business. It has developed several popular animated characters, including the flagship Nailoong, as well as Bombloong, Seven, Danmao and PIPTO. 

The company is now building an end-to-end business system covering IP development, content production, licensing and commercial distribution. Its goal is to become an internationally influential platform for managing and operating original animated brands.

Nailoong products demonstrated at Seventh Impression’s Qianhai office.

“Qianhai has created a dynamic environment for cultural and creative companies, giving us greater confidence as we expand overseas,” said Hu Yunxin, the company’s brand director.

Hu said Qianhai has provided practical support in several areas, including office space and programs to cultivate specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative companies. Preferential policies — including a favorable 15-percent corporate income-tax rate and tax subsidies for key creative professionals — have also helped lower the company’s research, development and operating costs, she said.

Qianhai’s cultural and creative industry policies have further supported the creation of high-quality original IP, commercial licensing, derivative products and participation in overseas exhibitions. Combined with a robust intellectual-property protection system and the advantages of closer cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, those measures have helped strengthen the company’s operations and support the international expansion of its original copyrights.

The company’s growth has also benefited from the continued development of Qianhai’s broader cultural and creative ecosystem. In September last year, the Qianhai Authority introduced 18 measures to promote high-quality growth in the cultural industry, focusing on cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, industrial development, and cultural tourism and consumption.

In July, the authority released the results of the first review of applications for special industry funds. A total of 31 applications from 29 organizations were approved. The funding is expected to contribute to the development of Qianhai’s digital culture, creative design, film and television, and media industries, while helping foster new cultural businesses and industry clusters.

With policy support continuing to expand, the cultural industry has become a new engine of high-quality economic growth in Qianhai. In 2025, cultural industries across the zone recorded double-digit growth. Although Qianhai accounts for just 6% of Shenzhen’s land area, it generated one-sixth of the city’s output in the digital creative industry, one-fifth of its output in culture, sports and entertainment, and half of its advertising-industry output.

In the first quarter of 2026, revenues of those cultural, sports and entertainment companies with annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more in Qianhai rose 29.2% from a year earlier, highlighting the sector’s strong resilience and continued growth.

A view of Qianhai Bay. Courtesy of Qianhai Authority

Qianhai is also working to build an international business-services hub to help local companies expand abroad. Since its launch in July 2024, Shenzhen International Business e-Station, a platform jointly developed by the Qianhai Authority and the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Commerce, has recorded more than 1.5 million visits and attracted 55,000 registered users.

The platform has organized more than 300 events focused on business matchmaking, trade and economic exchanges, and overseas expansion, serving more than 2,000 companies. It has helped 133 local businesses — including CIMC, SF Express and WeBank — pursue outbound investment and facilitated the launch of 224 overseas investment projects. Their total actual investment has reached US$1.77 billion, according to the platform. The initiative is gradually creating a broad, locally rooted and responsive support network for Chinese companies seeking to expand internationally.

Looking ahead, Seventh Impression said it will continue strengthening its presence in domestic market while expanding overseas. Domestically, the company plans to further develop a portfolio of original content, including high-quality animated series, short videos and popular-science books.

Internationally, it plans to use its Jakarta office as a base for reaching markets across Southeast Asia and beyond. The company will focus on localizing content, expanding distribution through major platforms and establishing supply chains for merchandise and other derivative products, turning Nailoong into a cultural ambassador connecting China with audiences around the world.