Global Value Chain Upgrading of China’s Documentary Industry: Position, Bottlenecks and Strategic Paths

This paper examines the position of China's documentary industry within the global value chain and proposes strategic pathways for its upgrading. Amid globalization and digitization, China's documentary sector is transitioning from a traditional export model to a networked, multi-dimensional system. Leveraging unique cultural resources, growing production capacity, and an expanding domestic market, China seeks to enhance its global influence. However, challenges such as market concentration, limited narrative innovation, and low value-added content persist. This study employs the UNCTAD global value chain framework and Michael Porter's diamond theory to evaluate China's documentary industry, analyzing its export market structure, content value, and industrial chain participation. Key findings highlight an imbalanced market reliance on North America and the Belt and Road countries, a shift from symbolic cultural displays to narrative-driven content, and limited integration in high-value chain segments. Proposed upgrading paths include technological innovation, diversified market expansion, and industrial chain integration through platformization and IP operations. These strategies aim to elevate China's documentary industry from a mid-to-low-end position to a more competitive global standing.