China's cultural sector revenue up 6.4% in Q1

BEIJING -- Major enterprises in China's cultural sector and related industries reported steady revenue growth in the first quarter of 2026, official data showed Wednesday.

The 82,000 surveyed enterprises posted combined operating revenue of 3.56 trillion yuan (about $518.4 billion) in the first three months, up 6.4 percent year-on-year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Revenue of cultural production companies rose 1.5 percent year-on-year, while that of cultural wholesale and retail firms increased 2.6 percent. Cultural services enterprises saw revenue expand 9.9 percent.

Creative design services recorded revenue growth of 12 percent, content creation and production rose 10.7 percent, and news information services increased 10.3 percent.

By region, cultural enterprises in eastern China saw revenue rise 6.9 percent year-on-year, while those in central and western China reported growth of 3.8 percent and 6.4 percent, respectively. Revenue in northeast China fell 8.3 percent.