A seasoned international journalist – and a familiar face at the Shanghai International Film Festival – has been following China's film industry for a full 25 years. He was struck by how the festival, now in its 28th year, keeps pushing forward with new additions like AI and youth-focused sections.

He also points to a major early-2000s turning point: China opening the door to private players in film and TV. From there, he watched the industry surge from a relatively small market into a powerhouse – nearing US$10 billion in annual box office, with broader genres and increasingly polished production standards. For him, the speed and scale of that transformation has been nothing short of staggering.