XIAMEN, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- The 28th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival launched special screenings of five Chinese documentaries Wednesday.

It was the first time the film festival held a promotion for documentaries since its founding in 1992.

"A nation without documentaries is like a family without a family photo album," said Yin Hong, vice chairman of the China Film Association, at the event. A forum on the development of Chinese documentaries was held alongside the main festival.

The increasing need for cultural products in China has strongly pushed forward the development of documentaries, particularly quality products that maintain a good balance between social responsibility and commercial feasibility, Yin said.

According to a report on the development of documentaries from 2018 to 2019 released at the forum, the number of homemade documentaries and their box office both increased steadily.

"Amazing China," a 90-minute documentary recording China's achievements over recent years, was the most successful documentary in 2018 and 2019 earning 480 million yuan (68.47 million U.S. dollars) at the box office.

The film festival opened on Tuesday in Xiamen, east China's Fujian Province.

Jointly initiated by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Film Association in 1992, the annual film pageant is held in Chinese mainland cities in rotation.