Yangtze delta cultural industries expo opens in Shanghai
The 4th Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo, being held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in Qingpu District, boosts international exchanges.
The 4th Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo raised its curtain in Shanghai on Thursday, connecting global cultural businesses and giving the public a chance to experience the everlasting charm of art and culture.
At the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) in suburban Qingpu District, four pavilions house 100,000 square meters of comprehensive development, digital creative, cultural technology, cultural tourism integration, and urban quality life sections.
As one of the nation's largest cultural industries expos, the four-day expo brings together many leading companies and exceptional programs, demonstrating the vitality of the region's cultural industries.
This year, cultural enterprises from 32 countries and regions and 65 domestic cities are taking part in the expo with the number of exhibiting working units amounting to over 1,500.
Visitors appreciate a piece of glass artwork at the expo.
A bridge for international exchanges
The Shanghai International Art Fair (SIAF) area features more than 200 works by 70 artists from over 30 countries and regions.
It's the first visit to Shanghai for Norwegian artist Mariya Martinsen.
"I was fascinated by the culture of Shanghai, which produces a special energy with a lot of movements," she told Shanghai Daily. "It is a very energetic city and I am excited to be here."
Martinsen is displaying several of her works at the expo, most of which are connected to her life and personal experience.
"I have a painting of my family and I hope to convey a positive energy to viewers," she said.
"There are a lot of different kinds of art events here and China is a much bigger market in terms of art than Norway. People here do love art and are open to different kinds of styles."
Norwegian artist Mariya Martinsen poses in front of her works at the expo
Iain Gray, a film producer and interactive video artist from the United Kingdom, attended the first Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo back in 2019.
"It's so good that we can come back, visit, trade and make friends here," he noted. "I am here to reconnect with our friends, our trading partners, and start developing new projects."
"I hope there would be a great interest in the artists we brought here and a lot of Chinese viewers will come and see these artworks," Gray said when talking about his expectations from the expo.
"I think China's culture and art market is quite sophisticated and people have many tastes, which is represented at the expo as it has a fine mix of different artworks.
"I wish I was here last week so I could have attended the China International Import Expo."
The 6th CIIE closed on November 10.
Meanwhile, the expo also features porcelain, glass, lacquer art, and contemporary design works by foreign artists and it wows audience with digital light and shadow art projects.
The booth of Shanghai United Media Group at the expo.
A platform of display and cooperation
The booth of Shanghai United Media Group comprises five sections, enabling people to explore the history and culture of the group, its convergence media development approach, innovation efforts, and new strategies.
It fully demonstrates the group's exploration in deep media integration and cultural industry development.
The booth also features the newly established Shanghai United Media Group International Communication Center, which aims to provide services to the city's expatriate community and boost overseas broadcasting power and influence.
One of the group's subsidiaries, Xinhua Media, has put Shanghai Book City, the city's largest bookstore and a cultural landmark, and a number of other bookstores such as 1927 Lu Xun and Uchiyama Memorial Bookstore under the spotlight at the expo.
The booth of Shanghai United Media Group shows cultural and creative products from all its media companies.
Another area in Shanghai United Media Group's booth
The National Base for International Cultural Trade is presenting a joint exhibition covering 200 square meters with its affiliated bases in Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Ili.
The showcase includes its digital copyright service platform, innovation high-tech parks for digital culture, Liangzhu culture in digital forms, and cultural and tourism programs like immersive dramas for children.
At the booth, visitors are able to experience a magic virtual immersive world. It also features a number of gifts with Chinese elements such as Lu Ban locks, an invention by ancient Chinese carpenter Lu Ban, as well as seals, chopsticks, and eaglewood with its packaging design bearing dragon elements as the year 2024 will mark the Year of the Dragon based on the Chinese zodiac.
The booth of the National Base for International Cultural Trade attracts visitors.
As a fourth-year participant at the expo, the base is looking to join hands with partners to boost the prosperity of the cultural trade industry and fuel the integrated development of culture and tourism enterprises.
Its Ili subsidiary in northwest China's Xinjiang Ugyur Autonomous Region is actively conducting international exchanges and cooperation and has established cultural trade cooperation relationship with many countries and regions, boosting the exports of Chinese culture products by setting up several platforms like the Central Asia cross border e-commerce center.
"We hope to actively attract leading cultural trade export enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region to go into the international market and facilitate the high-quality development of China's foreign cultural trade via the expo," said Wang Zhekun, deputy general manager of the base's Ili subsidiary.
Glass artworks on display at the expo.
A venue to appreciate culture, art and coffee
The expo features coffee, bamboo and jewelry design exhibitions, making it a place worth visiting for the public as well.
Yong'an in southeast Fujian Province, crowned the "hometown of bamboo in China," is hosting the 2023 International (Yong'an) Bamboo Expo as part of the event.
It is the first time the fair is being held outside Yong'an.
The event in its 22nd year displays everything related to bamboo, from items made of bamboo such as food, construction materials and furnishings to bamboo culture, techniques, and economy in the 3,070-square-meter exhibition area.
Moreover, calligraphy, painting and photo works as well as stones are also on display.
Yong'an's bamboo forest space amounts to 1.02 million mu and it boasts 166 bamboo shoot and bamboo processing enterprises with a combined 400-plus categories of bamboo shoot and bamboo products.
The 2023 International (Yong'an) Bamboo Expo is part of the four-day event.
Meanwhile, more than 30 cafes and coffee brands have brought their traditional and award-winning products to the expo, enabling guests to sample a cup of aromatic coffee and open a coffee-related "mystery box" or "blind box."
One of the most eye-catching is a van which is actually a cafe.
It was driven from Dalian in northeastern Liaoning Province to the expo.
"We have driven the van to quite a number of bazaars, but it is the first time it is present at an expo like this," said Zhang Chengwen, head of Dalian Chelunzi (Car Wheel) Cafe.
"We have prepared some special flavors for the event. Shanghai has a very dense and alluring coffee culture."
"It is our first time at the expo, and it is a real delight discovering that coffee has a perfect match with the artistic atmosphere here as we are surrounded by library and museum exhibitors," Yang Yang, a staffer of Punchline Coffee&Roaster, observed.
"We have brought drinks with Shanghai flavor such as sweet-scented osmanthus coffee and have decorated our booth with Chinese red," she added.
Coffee aroma at the expo
With Delta Racing Team, a Shanghai-based motor racing team, visitors can experience thrilling FPV (first person view) races and discover the joy of assembling racing cars at the auto culture display area.
Card exchange and jewelry appreciation are part of the expo as well, with intangible cultural relics like Xuhang straw planting from Shanghai's suburban Jiading District also on show.
New experiences and applications will transport visitors to the metaverse in the cultural technology segment, which highlights digital technologies.
Metaverse, IP crossover, and culture-tourism integration forums will be hosted, along with cultural transaction events.
A visitor takes a photo of an exhibit at the expo.
