As affected by COVID-19，the development of cultural industries in special economic zones in 2020 showed an obvious trend of industry differentiation. The emerging digital industrial operation represented by “Internet+culture” grew rapidly，while industries such as cultural entertainment and leisure services，cultural communication channels，culture-assisted production and intermediary services encountered many difficulties. For the digital transformation by traditional cultural industries forced by COVID-19，the government plays an increasingly important role in guiding the development of cultural industries. Centering on the strategic positioning of the high-quality development of the cultural industry during the 14^th Five-Year Plan period，the cultural industry in the special economic zones should accelerate the cultivation of new industrial growth points，speed up the digitalization of the cultural industry，further promote the integrated development of culture and tourism，and improve the high-quality modern cultural industry system.