Tourists wearing traditional attire explore a scenic area at Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, on July 27. [Photo provided to China Daily]

　　Every year, hundreds of films are produced in Hengdian, a once-obscure township in Zhejiang province that is now often referred to as “China's Hollywood“.

　　Few people realize, however, that the ascent of Hengdian — and the broader transformation of Zhejiang as a cultural powerhouse — was shaped earlier when Xi Jinping served as the province's Party secretary.

　　In 2003, months after becoming secretary of the Communist Party of China Zhejiang Provincial Committee, Xi visited Hengdian at a moment when its sprawling film sets were growing rapidly, but the industry lacked support for deeper integration across the production value chain.

　　Private capital was still restricted from entering critical areas such as film production and distribution.

　　“He encouraged us to explore boldly and vigorously develop the film and cultural industry,“ recalled Xu Tianfu, vice-president of Hengdian Group.

　　Soon after Xi's visit, Zhejiang authorities launched a provincial task force to study reforms, which led to the creation of China's first national-level film industry pilot zone in Hengdian in 2004.

　　The move marked a turning point in widening investment opportunities for the cultural sector and laid the groundwork for what is now one of the world's busiest film production hubs.

　　In 2005, the provincial Party committee, under Xi's leadership, adopted “eight projects“ to build Zhejiang into a province with strong culture.