Shenzhen Element Shining Cultural Expo Shenzhen | Culture | Cultural Expo

At the 19th Cultural Expo, Shenzhen elements shone brightly. Photo by Liu Senjun

Experience an AI digital human live broadcast, enjoy a Songgang Seven Star Lion Dance, and embark on an outdoor mountain and sea trip to take photos... The 19th China International Cultural Industry Expo was held from June 7th to 11th at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center. Various districts and enterprises in Shenzhen have showcased their strengths and achievements in digital culture, creative design, cultural tourism, and other fields, showcasing the charm and business opportunities of Shenzhen's cultural and creative industry to the world.

Audiences participate in the "Galaxy Phantom VR" exhibition area experience activity. Photo by Liu Senjun

Digital technology empowers cultural innovation

On the morning of June 7th, shortly after the main entrance of the venue was opened, the "Galaxy Phantom VR" exhibition area of the Digital Culture Museum was crowded with visitors.

Several military ships, parachutes, spacecraft and other model equipment were placed on site. Not long after, the audience wears VR headsets and immerses themselves in virtual interactive scenes of lunar travel and underwater diving.

This set of equipment comes from Shenzhen Jingmin Digital Machine Co., Ltd. The project manager of the company, Zhou Haiou, said, "The immersive interactive experience device has a strong sense of realism, liveliness, and fun. In the past, exhibitions have also attracted the attention of many purchasers of cultural and tourism scenic spots and research bases, and the transaction results are very good."

The deep integration of technological innovation and cultural creativity is one of the prominent characteristics of Shenzhen's cultural industry.

In an immersive cultural and creative digital space in the Luohu exhibition area, the audience plays music with beams of light as strings and uses their palms as pens to draw landscapes. People are also scenery, scenery is also people, and the audience has become a part of this light and shadow exhibition.

"The use of sound, light, water, fire, and electricity can develop technology night tours, digital performances, water shows, and light shows, providing optoelectronic system solutions for immersive cultural tourism," said Zhou Lingli, procurement manager of Shenzhen Laserland Technology Co., Ltd.

The diversified digital cultural products that combine virtual and real elements, as well as an immersive content display platform, have broken through traditional cultural carriers, presentation forms, and content production, becoming a powerful proof that digital technology promotes cultural development.

Supported by technological innovation and led by cultural creativity, high-quality cultural and technological products and enterprises continue to emerge in Shenzhen:

In the Futian exhibition area, there is a constant stream of visitors experiencing the virtual reality system in front of the lunar and Martian landing areas; Guangming Exhibition Area, a VR live camera allows the anchor in front of the green screen to be in a spacious exhibition hall; Huaqiang Fangte Branch Venue, with multiple metaverse VR games that are irresistible

In recent years, Shenzhen has continuously promoted the digital development of the cultural industry and listed the digital creative industry cluster as a strategic emerging industry with a focus on development. According to the plan, by 2025, the added value of Shenzhen's digital creative industry will exceed 100 billion yuan, becoming a highland for innovative development of the national digital creative industry.

In the exhibition hall of Dapeng New Area, the elements of Dapeng City are very prominent. Photo by Cao Huanqing

Mountain and sea resources nurture a new Lingnan style

A city wall stands tall, recording the profound history of the Dapeng Peninsula; A "time and space tunnel" is deep and tranquil, reproducing the scene of the dark starry sky in Xichong.

"The greenery surges in the mountains and seas, and the sails of Dapeng Bay are rising." Walking into the exhibition area of Dapeng New Area, a strong charm of mountains and seas fills one's face.

In order to build a world-class coastal leisure and vacation city that connects mountains and seas, Shenzhen continuously explores its own resource endowment, vigorously develops the cultural and tourism industry, and promotes the integration of cultural and tourism formats.

At the other end of the exhibition hall, a highly local intangible cultural heritage performance is being performed in the Yantian exhibition area.

Red carp, green carp, Ding Gongyu, Huang Chanjiao... Several fish lanterns are transparent and brightly shaped, flipping and undulating under the skillful manipulation of dancers, competing for waves.

Fish lantern dance was once popular in the Shatoujiao area of Shenzhen, and was common among local fishermen during festivals and ancestor worship. The unique dance moves and props have attracted many viewers to stop and appreciate.

At the Gankeng Ancient Town in Longgang, the lively and hospitable cartoon girl character "Little Cold Hat" can be seen everywhere in the winding alleyways, guiding children to experience labor in the themed farmland.

In the Little Hat Farm, children are playing and stepping on the water in the pond, planting and picking on the farm. Traditional agricultural culture has become tangible and tangible in modern towns.

Using the Gankeng Village Hakka intangible cultural heritage "cold hat" as a carrier, Shenzhen has incubated this cartoon IP with rich local cultural characteristics, launching a series of cultural and tourism integration products, carrying the ancient Lingnan memories while conveying the contemporary value of Hakka culture.

In the Futian exhibition area, the carved lacquer "Shanshui" screen is skillfully crafted with antique knife techniques; In the stone carving "Up to the Blue Clouds", the bamboo leaves are crispy and tender, ready to drip; The dragon and phoenix pattern relief on the Chao embroidery handbag is three-dimensional and full.

"We have linked the inheritors of national intangible cultural heritage projects and international emerging fashion designers, relying on design to drive product innovation and continuously break through the value ceiling of intangible cultural heritage derivatives," said Wei Suying, Chairman of Shenzhen Intangible Cultural Heritage Life and Culture Industry Co., Ltd.

Pakistani architects are consulting about transparent television products. Photo by Liu Senjun

Shenzhen's products are accelerating towards the international market

The background screen of the virtual shooting by Zhouming Technology XR is surrounded by the audience, and Tamana Amit and friends from Bangladesh are also eager to try it out;

The transparent TV on the photonic crystal booth played car models, and the floating and three-dimensional visual effect attracted Pakistani architect Hussein Saddam to stop and consult;

In front of the booth of Ruibaisheng Ru Kiln, Indian purchaser Malik Irfan Hussein is focusing on appreciating the innovative design of traditional porcelain

The Cultural Expo is an important lever for Shenzhen to promote cultural import and export trade. The organizers of this year's cultural and cultural expo will invite 100 countries and regions, as well as 20000 overseas professional visitors, to participate both online and offline. Enterprises are showcasing their excellent cultural achievements, showcasing their charm, seeking business opportunities, and promoting cooperation.

Entering the Bao'an exhibition area, dinosaurs roared and broke through the wall, appearing particularly realistic on three immersive screens. Just a few hours after its opening, Shenzhen Lianchengfa Technology Co., Ltd. has received visits and consultations from hundreds of domestic and foreign visitors and buyers.

"The overseas market has developed well this year, and our products have been sold to dozens of countries in Europe and Asia. We are currently actively exploring the US market," said Yang Yinxia, the company's project manager.

Shenzhen has achieved remarkable results in cultural export trade, with particularly strong strength in fields such as gaming, printing, arts and crafts, and cultural equipment.

Yachang, Zhonghua Business and other enterprises have won over a hundred authoritative "Benny" gold awards in the global printing industry; The overseas revenue of DJI drones in 2022 exceeds 20 billion yuan; Yingshi Innovation's professional VR cameras have a global market share of over 80%

At the same time, all 64 sub venues in Shenzhen have set up exhibition booths, attracting visitors from home and abroad through various exhibition and trading activities, and deepening exchanges and cooperation.

With the theme of "Impression of Russia", the branch venue of Shenzhen Beili Moscow University has set up a series of colorful cultural activities, such as the "the Belt and Road" Sino Russian Art Exhibition, the Russian Commodity Fair and the Sino Russian Drama Cultural Festival, in the form of "art+culture", to enhance Sino Russian cultural exchanges.

"Here, people from all over the world gather together to share and exchange ideas. Shenzhen plays a pivotal role in the world's cultural industry, and the Cultural Expo is a good example," said Bowens Benjamin, CEO of the Belgian digital art group Dirty Monitor.