A string quartet practices for an online concert last month in Beijing. [Photo/XINHUA]

Exemptions

The development of the internet may rewrite the rules of China's showbiz industry, as some films have premiered on online streaming platforms recently.

Nevertheless, Zhang Guangbei, a veteran actor and member of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC, believes watching films in cinemas will survive. "Cinema is a special art form that provides an immersive experience, and needs the audience to sit quietly in a confined space," the 60-year-old said.

The Ministry of Finance and the China Film Administration recently announced that Hubei province, one of the places hardest hit by the outbreak, would be exempt from paying the National Film Industry Development Special Fund levy－amounting to 5 percent of box-office revenue－this year.

The policy will apply to the rest of the country for the January to August period. In addition, all cinemas have been exempted from paying value-added tax－3.3 percent of gross box-office receipts－this year.

Zhang is excited to see policies enacted to boost the beleaguered industry. In addition to this stimulus, shooting is gradually resuming.

Before the two sessions began, he was in Anhui province to shoot his new film, the poverty alleviation-themed Great Things. Filming of the movie, based on a true story, was scheduled to start in early February, but it was postponed.

Zhang said the industry is recovering. "Most of the greatest films (in China) were born in historic moments," he said.

"I heard that groups of filmmakers and TV workers have already started scripting (coronavirus-themed) stories," he said. "If I am invited to join in, I will not hesitate."