Recently, there has been a video trending frequently on social media platforms—set to the melody of "Big Fish," a gigantic LED screen simulates the swaying underwater plants and schools of fish in an oceanic landscape, with a few silver dolphins weaving through an ultra-modern building, creating an ethereal and whimsical spectacle.
Welcome to the new headquarters of Alibaba Pictures.
It is located in Alibaba's Beijing Chaoyang Technology Park, also known as "Cultural City," covering an area of approximately 97,497 square meters. This space hosts teams from Youku, Alibaba Pictures, Damai, and other businesses under the umbrella of Alibaba's entertainment division.
Recently, The Paper visited Cultural City. Upon entering, visitors or employees are greeted by a loud "Open Sesame" at the gate; a few quick steps lead them into an incredibly large building that combines a sense of technology with an artistic ambiance. The building features glass curtain walls for both its exterior and dome, which is a typical style in Alibaba's park.
Immersive Roadshow Space
The first impression here is one of openness and relaxation. The space where big fish swim, seen on social media, is the core area of Cultural City—the atrium. Unlike traditional office spaces that are formal and regimented, this area feels younger, with various brands of milk tea and coffee, a small tavern that occasionally offers drinks inspired by Youku’s dramas, and installations like an art gallery, a reading bar, and a koi exhibit, all exuding a sense of "relaxation."
Atrium Small Tavern
The B1, B2, and B3 buildings are connected by green ecological walkways within the open atrium. Large LED screens line the outer edges and interior walls of the buildings, totaling around 1,500 square meters of display area. Under their illumination, the atrium resembles a cyberpunk environment. According to Alibaba Pictures representatives, the screens showcase different themed light and shadow shows around the clock, broadcasting various popular dramas and performance information, enhancing the artistic and interactive aspects of the building. During various events, they feature large posters of relevant works and stars, creating an immersive support experience.
In the most prominent location of the atrium lobby, two super landmarks have been designed—one connecting to the second floor and the other to the fourth floor, named the "Flower Road Accelerator." This area features a staircase garden that connects the second floor and basement level, and this combination of landmarks has already hosted several roadshow events.
"With You in the Time of Hua" Event Scene
The basement level of Cultural City also offers a surprising experience. The most important space here is the CINITY Mega Screen Theatre, which utilizes the CINITY dual-machine RGB laser projection system. Incorporating innovative technologies such as 4K, 3D, high frame rate (HFR), and high dynamic range (HDR), this CINITY corporate theatre is equipped with a massive 19.3-meter screen and 577 seats. Since opening, it has frequently hosted star roadshow events. It is also reported that the theatre functions like a regular cinema, screening new films and selling tickets to the public. Recently, to support Director Fang Li's "Sinking of the Lisbon Round," Alibaba Pictures continuously booked 10 screenings.
CINITY Mega Screen Theatre
Launch of the First Film Production Vehicle
On the day of the visit, the most surprising sight was the Youku Film Production Vehicle, which was making its inaugural return to the Beijing headquarters after several months in operation on set.
This production vehicle first made its debut at the 11th China Online Audio-Visual Conference on March 28.
Youku Film Production Vehicle
This vehicle measures 12 meters long and is akin to a "Transformers" creation. Youku staff explained that during productions, directors and post-production teams often had to set up temporary tents in difficult conditions, risking loss of footage. Avoiding reshoot risks has always been a challenge for various crews. Thus, the on-site editing capability of the production vehicle becomes particularly vital, allowing filmmakers to confirm material usability in real-time, significantly minimizing reshooting risks.
"With this vehicle, directors can achieve cross-regional coordination between A and B teams, and editors can perform real-time rough cuts, accelerating the crew's transition speed," Youku's representative stated.
The film production vehicle provides a comprehensive solution for the production process, divided into four areas: data center, director area, production area, and living area. Both sides of the vehicle can extend outward, creating an interior space of nearly 40 square meters once "transformed." Creative team members can use the viewing wall in the director area to conduct remote monitoring and dispatching across regions; the production area is equipped for DIT, color grading, and editing personnel to work simultaneously, assisting the director in real-time planning for shooting schedules.
Post-Production Editing Area
Monitoring Screens
The tents for multiple job functions have all been "housed" within a single vehicle, accommodating work needs while also enabling quick transitions in just 20 minutes. Moreover, the living area includes a refrigerator, microwave, and bathroom, along with air conditioning and fresh air supply, ensuring that the creative team can work comfortably even in extreme environments, whether in frigid snow or scorching deserts.
The Film "Dream Factory"
Besides the bustling atrium, Cultural City features many seemingly inconspicuous yet incredibly important spaces.
In the digital virtual studio, there is a large green screen specifically for virtual imaging, which can be utilized for creative programs such as gaming, animation, cultural technology, and news broadcasting. In various productions, this virtual studio can "transform" at the touch of a button, equipped with a four-channel virtual production system to create a realistic virtual environment. This capability reduces physical set costs and accelerates production cycles.
Green Screen
In addition to the green-screen digital virtual studio, there's also a multimedia photography studio with a white backdrop that can flexibly adjust its background color, meeting a variety of shooting needs from short videos, still photography, to creative advertisements and live-commerce streaming. Many stars have taken photos here during their visits.
In the 4K ultra-high-definition comprehensive studio, a badminton match is being broadcast live, with two commentators providing commentary. This space covers over 150 square meters, with a height of 4 meters under the lights, featuring a stage design centered around three P1.5 LED high-definition screens, complemented by full-color effect lights. It is primarily used for light variety shows, high-end interviews, and live broadcasts of major sports events. The comprehensive studio is equipped with a 4K ultra-high-definition production system, including five channels of 4K ultra-high-definition HDR cameras, a 3D subtitle packaging system, 16 microphones, and a complete set of digitally controlled lighting systems.
Sports Commentary Area
The cloud production space is utilized for remote program production. "Previously, recording a show in remote locations would require many people to travel; now, we can monitor the program site remotely from here." As the scheduling hub of the broadcasting center, this space allows for the simultaneous shooting and flexible scheduling of three studios. It is equipped with a cloud directing production system, leveraging the efficiency and flexibility of network transmission technology and cloud computing, enabling up to ten remote guests to connect for live broadcasts, which can facilitate online promotions, interactions between remote guests and the studio live audience, and various other scenarios.
Whether it’s the configurations of the entertainment broadcasting center, the five essentials of the atrium tours, or the Taomai mega screen theatre, they all showcase Cultural City's unique integration of IP development, production, film reviewing, and publicity. Alibaba Pictures is not just an office building; it is a film "dream factory."