Festival of eSports kicks off in Shanghai

A three-month cross-Strait eSports culture festival kicked off in Shanghai on Thursday.

Government officials and youth representatives from Shanghai and Taiwan were at the launch ceremony in Yangpu District, which was also streamed online.

The event, organized by Shanghai Cross-Strait Communication Promotion Association and Yangpu’s Taiwan affairs office and culture and tourism administration, will run to the end of November.

There will be eSports competitions, commentary contests, toy exhibitions, music shows and related course promotions, which are all expected to promote cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation among young people, as well as the development of the eSports industry.

An eSports carnival will be held at the end of November.

Yangpu is one of the most active districts in Shanghai in boosting eSports culture in line with the city’s time of becoming a global eSports center.

The district has released 23 policies to support the development of the industry and related enterprises, such as Perfect World Games, Bilibili and Alibaba Sports. Some of the companies have established cooperation with higher education institutions in the district, including Shanghai Publishing and Printing College and Shanghai University of Sport, to promote eSports education and talent cultivation. A university eSports association has also been established in Shanghai.