As Chinese consumption of cultural entertainment has increased, movies and television have become an area of growing interest within the Chinese economy. However, many industry insiders still remain cautious. Lü Chao, a TV producer of several popular works, including "Divorce Lawyer" and "Ice Fantasy," explained his perspective in a interview with people.cn.

”First, the film and television industry is not a 'cash-burning industry,' so most companies can only make ends meet; second, the current development of the industry is driven by talent instead of capital; third, capital is profit-driven, but cultural enterprises cannot be profit-oriented,” Lü explained.

In the film and television industry, revenue is distributed according to the ratio of investment, so most producers of content usually reject extra investments in order to guarantee their dividends. Compared to accepting outside investment, “we prefer to partner with other television companies when producing serials,” Lü added.

According to statistics from State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, 16,540 television episodes have been granted issuance licenses in 2016, which is already 557 more than in 2015. That increase might surpass 1,000 by the end of 2016. In comparison, only 802 actors and 31 directors have graduated in 2016 from the top two universities in film and television in China. This huge disparity cannot be resolved by simply expanding the scale of enterprises and increasing the number of TV serials.

After a program becomes a hit, investors always want to replicate its success. However, artists want to flex their creativity and prefer not to constantly reprise the same role. A good cultural enterprise should provide challenging opportunities for artists, which unfortunately doesn't always lead to profits.

“Which should come first, creative works or market interests? I always believe creative works are the first priority since fine art will win the heart of the market in the end,” Lü commented.