Nanshan District ranked first in a newly released national index measuring the cultural industry competitiveness of China’s top 100 districts, organizers announced on Oct. 20.

The "2025 China Cultural Industry Competitiveness Top 100 Districts Index" was unveiled at a conference during the 19th Hangzhou Cultural and Creative Industry Expo. The index evaluates districts based on a comprehensive system measuring industrial productivity, influence and development drive.

According to the report, Nanshan not only led the overall comprehensive index but also ranked first in the sub-indices for productivity and drive.

The productivity sub-index assesses factors of production, including the number of cultural enterprises and cultural capital investment. The drive sub-index evaluates the external environment for high-quality development, measuring capital activity, attractiveness to investment, government support, and innovation within the cultural sector.

Nanshan is a major economic powerhouse in China and has established itself as a leader in cultural industries. The district is home to nearly 15,000 cultural enterprises, including almost 1,000 large-scale cultural businesses. The sector's revenue accounts for nearly half of the total for the entire city of Shenzhen.

The index system is composed of the three primary indicators, which are further broken down into eight secondary indicators and dozens of specific measurement variables.