A traditional Chinese-style fashion show is staged in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Hangzhou News Center]

The output value of Hangzhou's animation sector exceeded 40 billion yuan ($5.9 billion) in 2022, compared with 32.8 billion yuan in 2021, according to preliminary statistics recently released by local authorities.

The local government has spent 100 million yuan each year to support the growth of the city's animation industry.

The city held the 18th China International Cartoon and Animation Festival from Nov 24 to 27 of last year, which was attended both onsite and online by more than 1,400 exhibitors and professional visitors from 292 Chinese and foreign institutes in 57 countries and regions .

Participants struck 554 million yuan worth of deals during the event.

An e-sport event is held at a stadium in Hangzhou. [Photo/Hangzhou News Center]

The city has placed an emphasis on cultivating a sound business environment for the city's cartoon and animation firms. Over the past few years, a number of leading firms in the sector, such as Bilibili and Lightchaser, have come to the city to explore opportunities for growth.

The number of animation firms in the city has exceeded 350.

In 2022, Hangzhou began to prioritize the development of e-sports, with the China Hangzhou E-Sports Center, the first professional e-sports stadium for Asian Games in China, being put into operation.

A wide array of e-sports events were subsequently held at the center, inspiring many young e-sports firms to set up operations in the city.