Boasting more than 120,000 creative products, the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, a national-level cultural expo that has 20 years of history, will begin on Thursday in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province.
A general view of the entrance to the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center Photo: VCG
Shenzhen, a city of strategic significance located in China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) has been a popular host of global economic and manufacturing events. Yet the upcoming expo which promotes "cultural creativity" reflects the sector's importance for not only the GBA's sustainable development, but also its role of a bridge to connect Chinese cultures to the outside world.
Open platformThe five-day fair will be held at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center with a total of eight exhibiting halls featuring exhibitors and enterprises in niche cultural sectors including digital publishing, arts, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and gaming.
Around 3,076 exhibitors from different industries will join the on-site gala, including participants from 108 different countries and regions such as the UK and France in Europe, and also countries like Indonesia and Egypt, which are partner countries of China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
Bei Jiekai, a cultural industry analyst, told the Global Times that many of these countries have their "particular preference for Chinese creative products." The international popularity of the fair has led to its 'go global' initiatives such as "launching overseas campaigns" and "connecting organizers of [the] same industry through networking agenda," he added.
"Taking the UK as an example, its publishing sector has established good collaborations with their peers in China," Bei remarked.
The international cultural trade sector will be present at the fair for the first time, engaging prestigious international brands, including the Frankfurt Book Fair from Germany.
A "BRI hall" has also been a mainstay at the event since 2016.
"An international fair as such essentially serves as a bridge to connect industry insiders from cultural backgrounds together," said Bei.
While dedicated to engaging global resources, the fair also promotes Chinese culture through exhibiting 300 indigenously designed creative products, including necklaces and bracelets featuring Chinese characters as aesthetic patterns in addition to other porcelain wares designed to incorporate both modern and classic aesthetics.
Yao Yu, a cultural and creative industries (CCIs) expert, told the Global Times that the Chinese CCI sector's growth hugely benefited from its cultural heritage, and public interest in trends like "China chic."
To enhance the influence of traditional Chinese culture, the fair will also include an area that exhibits the country's ICH treasures. Notable museums, such as the Sanxingdui Museum in Southwest China's Sichuan Province will debut at the event, featuring their cultural and creative products.
Including the host city of Shenzhen, China's GBA is known as a cradle of the countries' innovative and technological designs. The fair has employed an exhibition model called "GBA 9+2" to showcase how technological developments in Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions, and other GBA cities like Zhuhai, have integrated into the area's cultural market. Promotional campaigns for China's online literature industry combined with the cutting-edge Chinese AI products will be shown to visitors at the fair.
"The fair as such has become a channel to promote the GBA's international cultural reputation, and also help the area to seek substantial economic growth," Yao explained.
Using Shenzhen as an example, the city's cultural industry has grown at an average annual rate of more than 15 percent over the past 20 years. The fair has contributed to this figure by having incubated more than 4,000 cultural industry investments and financing projects over recent years.
Bigger landscapeThe Shenzhen fair marks only one event as such conceived for promoting GBA's international cultural scene. On May 16, the 2nd Art Hong Kong Expo launched at the Asia World-Expo in Hong Kong.
"Digital Cultural Creativity" is the main theme of the year 2024's expo. Innovative displays including animated films, mini toys designed upon famous cultural IP and digital terminal devices like the latest headsets are exhibited at the event.
Exhibits include items which reflect China's cultural heritage such as the Thangka painting.
Sang Benjie, a painter who will exhibit his works at the Hong Kong event, told the Global Times that he has brought his team of around 100 artists to the show. He hopes the Thangka painting can be viewed as embodying the cultural beliefs, graciousness and kindness of the people in Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region.
Liang Tianfu, the committee chair of the 2nd Art Hong Kong Expo, said that as part of the China-proposed BRI, the expo will be joined by exhibitors from countries as far afield as Russia and Iran. "The fair is strongly supported by the local government, and it is a great platform to bring Chinese culture to the world," Liang said.
