A man tries a virtual reality device at the 18th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Dec. 29, 2022.
BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The 18th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) wrapped up in Shenzhen recently.
Over 100,000 cultural products were displayed, and 4,000-plus cultural investment and financing projects were exhibited and traded, while 3,402 government delegations and cultural institutions and enterprises attended the fair. The 18th ICIF comprehensively demonstrated the latest achievements in the development of the cultural industry in the new era, not only contributing to the high-quality development of the industry but also injecting a strong impetus into the building of China into a country with strong cultural soft power. In conclusion, ICIF fully played its spearheading role as the first exhibition in China's cultural industry.
-- Cultural charm blossoming
31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities as well as Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan of China participated in this year's ICIF. They brought the newest development achievements in the cultural industry, quality cultural projects, and key products to the fair, fully displaying the new fruits of the high-quality development of China's cultural industry.
More than 40 percent of the cultural products and projects exhibited debuted at the fair.
With "digitization", "creativity", "inheritance", and "innovation" as keywords, national market players, major platforms, and up-to-date technological innovations in the cultural industry highlighted the hot spots, trends, and accomplishments of the high-quality development of China's cultural industry.
The cultural industry general pavilion, covering an exhibition area of 40,000 square meters, was the largest exhibition hall with the richest exhibits of the 18th ICIF. Here, visitors could go to the Sichuan Exhibition Area to "feed giant pandas online", feel the charm of Yunnan Jianshui purple pottery, Yi embroidery, Lijiang enamel silverware, and other distinctive ethnic crafts, and have a drink at Qingdao International Beer Festival. At the pavilion, visitors were presented with charming cultures from all across the country.
-- Creative business formats booming
This edition of ICIF attracted a colossal amount of high-tech cultural enterprises engaging in 5G technology, big data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital humans. They leveraged digital technologies to diversify exhibition means, and empowered by technology, culture became more innovative.
In the "Cultural China" Exhibition Area, visitors were drawn to visit the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King via VR and Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang online. The Zhejiang Exhibition Area enabled visitors to make a "digital human", to talk with Wang Xizhi, Li Bai, Su Shi, and other celebrities from ancient China. In the studio of Shenzhen Longgang Exhibition Area, a lifelike digital twin was projected on the large screen in the form of holographic imaging in just a few seconds. The introduction of new technologies, business formats, and models closed the gap between common people and cultures and brought people a brand-new cultural experience.
It was the first time for ICIF to set up Culture-Tourism Integration & Cultural Consumption Pavilion. Famous culture-tourism integration demonstration units from all over China presented various new business formats and measures such as "culture + tourism" and "culture + creativity" here.
Shenzhen Cion Union Creative Management Co., Ltd., which mainly works on cultural and tourism brand building, participated in ICIF for the first time. On the same day when the fair kicked off, the company received numerous customers from all over the country.
"Integration and innovation are a major development trend in the cultural industry in recent years." Liang Yichuan, brand project manager of Cion Union, said that it could be seen from this fair that almost all businesses integrate culture, tourism, commerce, design, and other elements for systematic development and brand building. "ICIF's role as a bellwether is obvious."
-- Trading platform taking shape
On December 29, 2022, the 18th ICIF Cultural Industry Investment Promotion Conference and Cooperation Signing Ceremony was held at Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center. Yunnan, Tibet, and some other places conducted investment promotion events on the day, and 10 key projects were signed on site, with a total investment of 2.856 billion yuan.
Over the years, ICIF offered opportunities to domestic and foreign merchants for exchanges, cooperation, and pursuit of common development while displaying the achievements of China's cultural structural reform and innovation and the development of the cultural industry.
This edition of ICIF hosted at least 400 online and offline supporting activities, including the release of important information, auctions, live streaming, exhibitions, and contract signing, with a total of more than two million participants. All of them effectively facilitated industry exchanges and project trading.
The online International Pavilion welcomed 300 overseas cultural institutions and enterprises from 30 countries and regions, and 10,931 overseas buyers from 108 countries and regions such as France, Germany, and Pakistan registered for visiting the fair and making procurements.
The "Innovative Projects and New Products Launch" was an innovation of the 18th ICIF and served as a platform for new products, technologies, business forms, and services to make their debut. At the activity, Hefei Tuwa Technology Co., Ltd. obtained nearly 30 potential orders, and Shenzhen Hongbo Changrong Advertising Co., Ltd. signed contracts valued at over 1.1 billion yuan.
Dong Minxin, investment promotion manager of Shanghai-based DoBe Group, said, "Every year, ICIF provides us with opportunities to learn from and communicate with each other. As an exhibitor, we hope to introduce resources through the ICIF, to find the right projects for the enterprise. As an investor, I would like to find suitable products at the ICIF, to expand my thinking and investment areas."
(Edited by Bao Nuomin with Xinhua Silk Road, baonuomin@xinhua.org)
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