On May 20, 2026, the "Fire Safety Guidelines for Scripted Entertainment Venues," jointly issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Fire and Rescue Bureau, officially came into effect. The guidelines explicitly require that cables and optical fibers used in audio-visual equipment for foreign-related theaters and immersive performance spaces must pass the GB 31247-2025 standard B1 level flame retardant certification. Products that previously only held CE or UL certifications but did not cover this national standard must undergo supplementary testing before entering the Chinese market. Overseas manufacturers, importers, system integrators, and certification service agencies that directly provide equipment to Chinese cultural and tourism performance venues need to pay close attention to this change in compliance requirements.

Event Overview

The "Guidelines for Fire Safety in Scripted Entertainment Venues" was jointly issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the National Fire and Rescue Administration, and will officially come into effect on May 20, 2026. The guidelines clearly stipulate that cables and optical fibers used in audio-visual equipment for scripted entertainment venues such as theaters catering to foreign audiences and immersive performance spaces must meet the B1 flame retardant requirements of GB 31247-2025 "Classification of Flammability of Cables and Optical Fibers". Equipment that has obtained CE or UL certification but does not cover GB 31247-2025 B1 certification must complete supplementary type testing and obtain the corresponding test report before it can be sold or put into use in the Chinese market.

Which sub-sectors will be affected?

Direct trading enterprises

Foreign manufacturers and domestic importers of audio-visual equipment exporting to China will face risks of delayed market access or hindered project delivery if their products have not yet obtained GB 31247-2025 B1 certification. The impact will primarily manifest as extended contract fulfillment periods, incomplete customs clearance documents leading to returned shipments, and customers shifting their purchasing decisions to compliant competitors.

Processing and manufacturing enterprises

OEM/ODM manufacturers that customize lighting controllers, audio cables, and special effects power supply modules for scripted entertainment projects will need to reselect flame-retardant sheathing materials, adjust structural designs, and arrange for testing if the original design did not include a B1-grade material compatibility scheme. The main impacts will be increased BOM costs, longer small-batch trial production cycles, and passive adjustments to mass production schedules.

Supply chain service companies

Third-party organizations providing CCC extended certification, national standard type testing agency services, and multi-standard collaborative certification (such as CE+GB) services are experiencing structural changes in their business needs. The main impacts are reflected in the increase in orders for B1-grade cable and optical fiber testing, the rise in cross-standard technical difference analysis consultations, and the need to simultaneously embed the GB 31247-2025 pre-assessment stage into the existing CE/UL certification process.

Channel distribution enterprises

System integrators and engineering service providers offering turnkey solutions for theaters, cultural and tourism complexes, and commercial spaces must verify whether upstream suppliers possess valid GB 31247-2025 B1 level reports during the equipment selection phase. The main impacts include increased complexity in early-stage project technical briefings, the need to supplement equipment acceptance clauses with national standard compliance certificates, and the potential inability to use existing inventory equipment for new projects due to missing certifications.

What key areas should relevant businesses or practitioners focus on, and how should they respond at present?

Pay attention to the published standard texts and updates to the list of testing institutions.

GB 31247-2025 is a new mandatory national standard released in 2025. Some testing laboratories are still in the process of applying for expanded qualifications. Enterprises should continuously monitor the list of laboratories with testing capabilities for this standard published on the official website of the China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment (CNAS) to avoid entrusting unqualified institutions to issue invalid reports.

Distinguishing the actual validity of "certification" and "test report"

GB 31247-2025 B1 rating is a flammability rating test, which is not currently included in the CCC mandatory certification catalog, but the "Guideline" requires it as a prerequisite for venue access. Enterprises need to understand that this requirement is a technical compliance condition in industry management standards, not a statutory certification; its implementation relies on the inspection by cultural and tourism authorities in the venue registration, fire safety inspection, and other stages, not the circulation supervision by market supervision departments.

Prioritize identifying high-risk product categories and typical application scenarios.

Focusing on frequently used items such as mobile power cables, DMX signal cables, and LED light strip power cables, which are commonly used in stage suspension areas, densely populated audience areas, and enclosed set spaces; simultaneously identifying theaters and immersive projects tagged with "foreign-related", "international tour cooperation", and "overseas IP localization", these scenarios are more likely to be included in the initial implementation and spot check scope.

Initiate evaluation of existing product B1 level adaptation plans and alternative solutions.

For major models that have been sold to China but have not undergone B1-level testing, contact testing institutions as soon as possible to conduct difference analysis and minimum sample retesting; for newly initiated products, the GB 31247-2025 material selection list should be incorporated into the design stage, and the supply cycle and batch consistency guarantee mechanism should be confirmed in collaboration with cable suppliers.

Editor's Viewpoint / Industry Observation

Observably, this guideline does not introduce a new certification regime but reinforces the enforcement of an existing national standard within a specific application context. Analysis shows that its immediate impact lies less in creating technical barriers and more in exposing gaps between international compliance practices and localized fire safety governance logic. From an industry perspective, it signals a broader regulatory trend: non-telecom/non-power sectors—such as cultural entertainment—are increasingly subject to granular, use-case-specific interpretation of general fire safety standards. It is currently more appropriate to understand this as a signal than a fully matured compliance regime, given the absence of detailed implementation guidance (eg, sampling rules, retroactivity clauses, or grace periods) from authorities.

Conclusion:
The implementation of this guideline marks a further extension of compliance management for equipment in script-based entertainment venues from content security and operational standards to the physical dimension of fire safety. Its core significance lies not in raising the overall entry threshold, but in promoting a "pre-judgment of standard applicability" awareness among all parties in the industry chain. Currently, it is more appropriate to understand it as a targeted policy implementation to strengthen enforcement, rather than a systemic regulatory upgrade; enterprises should adopt a pragmatic, scenario-specific, and category-specific approach to promote adaptation, avoiding generalized interpretations or overreactions.

Information source explanation:
Main sources: "Fire Safety Guidelines for Scripted Entertainment Venues" (effective May 2026 version) jointly issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People's Republic of China and the State Fire and Rescue Administration; GB 31247-2025 "Classification of Combustion Performance of Cables and Optical Fibers" National Standard (released in 2025).
The following aspects require continued observation: the specific inspection methods used by local cultural and tourism administrative departments during the venue registration process, the rules for determining the validity period of test reports, and whether transitional arrangements have been made for existing equipment already in use.