Since 1986, the Shanghai TV Festival has been held once every two months (biennially), with the approval from the Standing Committee of the People's Congress of Shanghai. It is an international competition with the theme of peace, friendship, communication and cooperation. It aims to deepen the understanding among countries, strengthen the friendship and promote the development of TV art.

The White Yulan Prize of Shanghai TV Festival is named after the city flower of Shanghai 　 white Yulan, which symbolizes beautiful art and justice. The prize is issued by the State Administration of Radio, TV & Film of China and the Shanghai People's Government. The judging panel is made up of famous experts from home and abroad.

The prize is composed of 14 awards in 2 categories. In TV series, awards include Best TV Series, TV Series Jury Special Award, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenwriter, and Best Technology; while in documentaries, awards include Best Documentary Jury Special Award, Best Human Documentary, Best Human Innovation Documentary, Best Human Documentary Photography, Best Nature Documentary, Best Nature Innovation Documentary, and Best Nature Documentary Photography.

In addition, the festival will hold other activities such as International TV & Film Show, International TV & Film Market, International Radio, Film & TV Equipment Exhibition and Conference. Shanghai TV Festival, as one of the channels for the import and export of Chinese TV programs, has effectively promoted exchanges among countries, expanded the market, and strengthened the cooperation.

With the participation of world-famous companies and a high-tech content, the festival provides an opportunity for China to get a better understanding of the development trend of the world's TV industry through the exhibition of Chinese and foreign TV programs and most advanced TV and film technologies in the world.

As a show of international TV programs, the festival has been changed from a mutually beneficial activity to the market-oriented trade fair of TV programs and it will continue to develop towards an internationalized, specialized, and market-oriented art gala.

(Official website: http://www.stvf.com/Article/index.asp)