Signs of life are re-emerging in China’s film and TV industry, as studios across the country reopen and suspended film shoots are restarted, it has been reported.

According to China Global Television Network, a branch of the state-owned TV network China Central Television, studios have reopened in Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao and Xi’an, and TV series such as Legend of Fei and Like a Flowing River have resumed production. High-profile film shoots, including Zhang Yimou’s Impasse, are also reported to have begun filming again.

The move follows attempts to lift restrictions and restart the economy across the country, which included reopening cinemas and tourist attractions, as well as allowing schools to begin classes again. However, cinemas were abruptly closed again soon after, along with other entertainment venues, amid fears of a second wave of coronavirus infection.

Production chiefs appear to have instituted strict regulations to ensure shoots can continue, including quarantine for film crew and a requirement to prove knowledge of “epidemic prevention”. Local authorities have also provided financial incentives, such as subsidies for equipment rental and catering, to encourage producers to keep shooting.