People visit the International cultural trade hall during the 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, May 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
BEIJING, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The 20th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF), the nation's premier cultural industry event, was held in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province from May 23 to 27, highlighting tech empowerment.
The ICIF, attracting 302 overseas exhibitors from 60 countries and regions this year, has become an important engine driving the development of China's cultural sector since its inception in 2004.
-- Tech empowerment
One of the highlights of the 20th ICIF was the integration of culture with technologies. Products empowered by cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), new energy vehicles (NEVs), and passenger-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) brought new experience to visitors.
In its booth, Chinese tech giant Tencent brought to life the intricate details of a cave of the Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Dunhuang of northwest China's Gansu Province, using technologies such as 3D modeling, physical rendering and dynamic lighting in game engines. Visitors wearing virtual reality (VR) glasses could indulge in an immersive viewing of the cave and engage with virtual figures of the murals by playing games.
NEVs caught the eyes of many visitors on site, for the cars equipped with big screens rendered passengers to watch movies, TV series and variety shows. Shenzhen-based Appotronics Corporation Limited (688007.SH) presented its automotive projection products, including in-plane sunroof display, side window display, smart surface, and in-car screen. The products transformed NEVs into platforms showing cultural products, bringing a pervasive visual experience to users and creating a new scenario of cultural tourism.
Visitors also took a shine to UAVs. The passenger-carrying UAVs developed by China's urban air mobility technology platform company EHang could realize precise takeoff and landing on preset routes based on a smart navigation system. A scenic site operator from Changsha, central China's Hunan Province expressed the desire to use such UAVs in the scenic site to provide tourists with a brand new flying experience.
-- Industrial promotion
The ICIF, with exhibition and transaction as its core features, has become an important engine driving the development of China's cultural sector.
Over 120,000 cultural products were exhibited during this year's fair, including products with cultural intellectual property, artworks, creative designs, online literary works, online dramas and online games that represent the latest achievements of the creative transformation of the Chinese culture. More than 4,000 cultural industry investment and financing projects were showcased and traded on site.
Over the past two decades, the ICIF reported a cumulative transaction amount of 2.8 trillion yuan, served 42,323 cultural enterprises and organizations, and attracted 65 million visitors.
For the host city of Shenzhen, the ICIF is a booster for local cultural industry. When the first ICIF was held in 2004, the added value of Shenzhen's cultural industry was 16.3 billion yuan, accounting for less than 3 percent of the local GDP. Two decades on, the city's added value of cultural industry now arrives at 275 billion yuan, accounting for about 8 percent of the local GDP. The metropolis is home to over 100,000 cultural enterprises and more than 1 million cultural industry practitioners.
-- International cultural exchanges
The 20th ICIF held online and offline attracted 302 overseas exhibitors from 60 countries and regions, facilitating international cultural exchanges.
Frankfurt Book Fair, the world's largest trade fair for printed and digital content, made its debut at this year's ICIF, showcasing German-language children's books, architectural books, and Germany's most beautiful book series in its booth.
Ole Döring, a German sinologist facilitating the introduction of the Frankfurt Book Fair in China, expressed his fondness for the children's books on display, saying they offer Chinese readers a perspective on how Germans perceive the world. He invited Chinese readers to explore German culture and hoped to see Sino-German cultural exchanges increase through the exhibition.
Afghan exhibitor Ataullah Jan Aminzai attended the ICIF several times. He said the fair created a global marketplace for cultural exchanges and collaboration. He also highlighted the benefits of participating in the event, including selling Afghan art and cultural products and securing valuable customer contacts that would promote sales, according to Shenzhen Daily.
Joseph Mukisa from Uganda held a similar view. He said the fair provided a good opportunity for him to promote Ugandan culture, meet different people, and make friends. Inspired by the fair's outcomes, Mukisa planned to participate in next year's ICIF.
(Edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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