Opinion | What Hong Kong can take away from Ne Zha 2’s creative success

The city must achieve deeper creative integration. Ways must be found to bring Chinese, including Hong Kong, content to the world

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People watch Ne Zha 2 in 4D at a cinema in Beijing on February 16. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:30am, 26 Feb 2025

As the animated Chinese blockbuster Ne Zha 2 gains widespread attention domestically and internationally, hopes are high that it will be a prime example of a Chinese cultural export. This showcase of Eastern aesthetics embodies the maturity of China’s cultural industry and against this backdrop, Hong Kong, once known as the Eastern Hollywood, has a historic opportunity to redefine its cultural soft power.

Hong Kong cinema has made progress in visual effects, with films like Warriors of Future setting new standards. However, the cultural industry faces a structural imbalance in original intellectual property (IP) development, having relied traditionally on the martial arts novels of Jin Yong and more recently, nostalgic content.

This limits market growth and fails to meet the diverse needs of younger audiences. Although the Hong Kong brand B.Duck has found success in IP licensing, the city still lags behind the mainland in IP development and industry transformation; it doesn’t have a successful work like Ne Zha 2, which resonates with Generation Z through innovation and emotional power.

Although the Hong Kong government has supported the creative sector through schemes like the CreateSmart Initiative, the industry still lacks the global reach and influence necessary to compete with major international markets.

Ne Zha 2 was five years in the making, with 138 animation companies across China putting together over 1,900 special effects shots; it is a product of a well-established ecosystem.

Enlight Media’s IP development model for Ne Zha and other films drawn from the classic mythological novel Investiture of the Gods seamlessly integrates various stages, including creation, technological innovation, market expansion and derivative product development, ensuring a complete and efficient industry chain.