Documentary film Hotline Beijing 2 screened in Chinese capital

A screening of Hotline Beijing 2 , a documentary film about Beijing's reform of its public service hotline system, was held in Beijing on Sunday as part of the 2026 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints.

Two years ago, the first film, Hotline Beijing , focused on calls received by Beijing's 12345 citizen service hotline to document the city's efforts to improve its response to public complaints.

It grossed more than 80 million yuan (about $12 million), setting a record for Chinese documentary box office revenue over the previous five years.

The film was also screened in cities including New York, Los Angeles and St.

Petersburg.

The sequel was filmed over nearly a year, with almost 500 hours of footage and interviews with nearly 100 people from different sectors.

Taking an international perspective, it records the city's reform and development through real-life stories.

The film has no narration, relying entirely on footage and the voices of the people involved.

Through personal stories, it explores common challenges arising from urban development and examines the principle that cities are built by and for their people.

It also highlights the role of the 12345 hotline and the swift-response reform in urban governance.

The film was produced by China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio (Group), affiliated with China Media Group.

Since launching the reform in 2019, Beijing has used the 12345 hotline to make residents' concerns a driver of urban governance.

Over the past seven years, the hotline has handled around 200 million requests, with both resolution and satisfaction rates exceeding 97%.

The 2026 Beijing Forum on Swift Response to Public Complaints will be held from October 12 to 13 under the theme "The Digital and Intelligent Era and the People's City."