A 250,000-square-meter industrial park---the first of its kind in Shenzhen dedicated to e-sports and cultural creative industries---recently opened in Dalang Fashion Town, Longhua District.

The park will host the finals of the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Youth E-sport League, which kicked off in the district on July 29.

Spanning over 23,800 square meters of industrial space, the facility will support e-sport competitions, livestreaming and talent development. Its cultural and creative arm will focus on the design, production and global distribution of IP products tied to e-sport teams and events.

The operator of the industrial park has introduced a range of preferential policies to attract more e-sport enterprises. These include a rent-free period of up to 12 months to ease the financial pressure on businesses during their early stages; free use of event venues and support facilities within the park for organizers of national or international e-sport events; for large-scale headquarters leasing over 3,000 square meters, an innovative and flexible rental model featuring a discounted base rent of 30 yuan per square meter combined with a revenue-sharing mechanism; and actively connecting enterprises with low-interest loans and startup funds to address financing challenges.

A scene of Shenzhen's first e-sport industrial park in Dalang Fashion Town, Longhua District. File photos

So far, the park has reached cooperation agreements with Tencent Games, China Mobile Games and Entertainment Group (CMGE) and Renren Sports.

Longhua has beefed up its support for the development of the e-sports sector and related industrial chain by attracting more enterprises specializing in software and hardware R&D, event planning, and IP design for video and mobile games, alongside a steady increase in the number of e-sports hotels and arenas throughout the district.

It has so far hosted several renowned e-sports events, including the 7th Honor of Kings National Championship, the Honor of Kings International Championship (KIC), and the QQ Speed Annual Grand Finals, among others.

The launch ceremony of the 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) Youth E-sport League.

Looking ahead, Longhua aims to increase the number of high-level e-sports clubs through talent introduction and incubation, while supporting enterprises, event organizers, and clubs in building more professional e-sports arenas. 

Efforts will also be made to strengthen the production and dissemination of e-sports content, driving the growth of related industries such as livestreaming, talent management, media, training, and equipment.

The district will support the hosting of international and national top-tier e-sports tournaments, foster the development of distinctive homegrown event brands, and establish an IP-driven tournament system. Enterprises and institutions are encouraged to organize e-sports exhibitions, forums, and fairs. 

Moreover, e-sports elements will be integrated into public spaces to create new consumption scenarios that blend competitions, entertainment, shopping, leisure tourism, and food and beverage experiences.