Why is "cultural roots" deeply rooted? How to Find the New Coordinates of Lingnan at the Cultural Expo AI | Digital | Cultural Expo

At present, the Lingnan region is gradually entering the dragon boat season. The the Pearl River is densely covered with water, giving birth to the dragon boat traditions with local characteristics: both the 591 year old Yanbu "the oldest dragon boat in China" came out to fight again, and new dragon boats and new paddlers kept testing the water, eager to excel. The enthusiasm for the dragon race to win the championship was quickly ignited as a result.

The old dragon awakens and the new dragon enters the water. The alternation of old and new can also enhance each other's beauty. The inclusiveness of Lingnan culture is evident at a glance. This year, the competition for excellence is not limited to water, but beyond the dragon boat race, the spillover effect of the "dragon boat culture" of innovation and creativity is emerging: at the 19th Cultural and Creative Expo, which opened on June 7th, the metaverse dragon boat from Dongguan and the dragon boat trend from Chenghai, Shantou... The endless creative dragon boat surroundings have attracted a lot of attention, and many people exclaim that they have "played with dragon boats clearly" - at the Cultural and Creative Expo, creativity and innovation never lack a market.

Spanning nineteen years, with the takeoff of Guangdong, a major economic province in China, the Cultural and Creative Industry Expo has grown from a local exhibition to the "number one exhibition of Chinese culture", rooted in the soil of Lingnan and receiving a new mission. How can the Cultural and Creative Industry Expo find its new coordinates today? What is the status and significance of the cultural industry for Guangdong?

Still water flows deep, from "walking forward" to "looking back"

As early as four days before the official holding of the Cultural Expo, the sub venue of Dafen Village, known as the "first village of Chinese oil painting", opened early. This year, the "Contemporary Trend IP Gallery Alliance Exhibition" and "Another Me in the Parallel World - AI Visual Art Exhibition" created by the Dafen Village Branch have once again refreshed people's understanding of Dafen.

Dafen Oil Painting Village, which has been a sub venue since the first Cultural Expo in 2004, has participated in 19 consecutive sessions. In the past 20 years, Dafen Village has emerged due to the imitation of paintings, but has also faced doubts and market shocks. Eventually, it chose to transform and innovate, attracting young painters to create original works here and creating its own IP... Dafen's tremendous changes have to some extent outlined the development of Shenzhen, a pioneering city of reform and opening up.

This trend of pursuing originality and innovation is naturally blowing towards the venue of the Cultural Expo.

As the "Canton Fair" in the cultural industry, this year's CIIE has attracted more than 20000 overseas professional visitors from over 100 countries and regions around the world to participate. A large number of new products and technologies have gathered, making it the best window for China to observe the world cultural exchange market.

"In the past, we used to attend various exhibitions abroad every year to buy copyrighted products. Now, we are investing more energy in exploring traditional culture and creating original works based on it." Mr. Liu, the head of a well-known domestic cultural and tourism enterprise, said that today, Chinese cultural and tourism enterprises are not only "moving forward", but also constantly "looking back", examining their origins and seeking "Chinese enlightenment" from tradition. At the Cultural and International Fair, more and more foreign businesses are even taking the initiative to negotiate the introduction of Chinese original IPs.

Looking back suddenly, it's not just one or two cultural enterprises. From Guangdong alone, from the popular Chaoshan English song and dance at the beginning of the year, to the constantly refreshing hot searches of dragon boat, arcade, and Wing Chun... In the past year, museums across Guangdong province have developed 3250 cultural and creative products based on folk customs and collections, an increase of 41% compared to the previous year.

Cultural practitioners have also seen the enlightening effect of traditional elements on the cultural industry. From inside the venue to outside, original elements are exploding, and traditional Chinese elements are constantly becoming carriers or even cores. This change in "wind direction" undoubtedly affects the Cultural Expo and deeply influences China's cultural market.

Looking at "Digital Culture and Museum" from a Ticket for Shipbuilding and Sailing

For the first time this year, the "Lion Awakening Little Water Drop" digital ticket has been launched at the China International Import and Export Expo. The ticket is sold online and granted ticket permissions, and a gift function has been set up to turn the "Lion Awakening Little Water Drop" into a brand new digital business card.

There is a lot of effort put into a small ticket, which shows that this exhibition has a deep intention in digitalization.

It has been only 6 months since the last Cultural Expo to this year, and there is a lot of pressure to showcase "new ideas". Recently, "digitalization" has emerged and quickly become a highlight. Therefore, for the first time, this year's Cultural Expo has established a theme exhibition area of "Digital China - Cultural Innovation in the AI Era". The 1517 square meter exhibition area gathers national cultural industry operators, important platforms, and the latest technological innovation achievements.

At the beginning of this year, the local dance drama "Wing Chun" in Guangdong quickly became popular with its unique Southern style martial arts skills, touring in multiple places and even encountering situations where it was difficult to obtain a single ticket.

In the Digital China exhibition area, "Wing Chun" has been further digitized and transplanted into digital theaters for scene reproduction. Through digital secondary creation, each move is more three-dimensional, allowing more people to immerse themselves in the Southern style martial arts and enjoy the thrilling punches, as if they were on site.

Digitization goes far beyond presentation. With the continuous maturity of AI technology, the application of digital technology has moved towards the real front line of the industry: virtual digital humans with interactive and learning functions have emerged at this year's Cultural Expo, and even have certain productivity in the cultural industry. "We used to think that artificial intelligence was distant, but now through culture+AI, relying on sensory cognition, we can first touch the future." Yang Yantao, one of the curators of the Digital China exhibition area, believes that the Cultural Expo is providing imaginative space for new technological forces, including "digitalization".

Looking at the continuous addition of diverse new elements in the Cultural Expo, this fusion of tradition and technology is not simply "the sound of young phoenixes is clearer than that of old phoenixes". Technology empowers IPs them to go abroad by boat, and the injection of traditional cultural power endows technology and innovation with more connotations.

What kind of soil is needed for the deep cultivation of "culture"?

In 2021, the added value of Guangdong's cultural and related industries reached 691 billion yuan, accounting for 5.54% of the province's GDP and ranking first in the country for 19 consecutive years. By 2025, Guangdong has also set a goal for the added value of the cultural industry to account for over 6% of the province's GDP, and the cultural industry has become one of the pillar industries in Guangdong.

While Guangdong is renowned for its outstanding manufacturing industry, it has also included the cultural industry as a "pillar industry", and even the proportion of GDP continues to increase. As the largest province in the national economy, why can the cultural industry also thrive in the forest of manufacturing?

In Shenzhen, where the cultural industry park is held, you can feel that the cultural industry park is rooted in almost every corner of the city, and cultural and tourism enterprises and Internet leading enterprises also stand proudly in the center of the city - not only because of their close geographical location, but also through industrial cooperation, a unique cultural industry chain has even been formed: with the help of "supercomputers", the animation industry "calculates" more exquisite and realistic images, keeps an eye on the latest cultural and creative IP, manufacturing enterprises respond to the call, and fully launch the acclaimed cultural and creative surroundings

From a larger perspective, we can observe the entire Guangdong region horizontally: it gathers the diverse cultures of the three major ethnic groups of Guangfu, Chaoshan, and Hakka, and cultural creative materials and inspiration are readily available here. Film and television works such as "The Hidden Corner" and "The Fury" have become popular with the help of strong local customs and traditions, while also driving the filming location to "join hands and expand the circle". The cultural leverage cannot be underestimated.

Standing at the top of the industry chain, vertical comparison: Guangdong has gathered a complete cultural industry chain consisting of 9 major categories and 146 industry categories, with nearly 10000 cultural enterprises above designated size in the province forming a lush forest. Under the shade of the forest, a large number of new cultural consumption scenes have emerged. The high efficiency of creative transformation allows startups that rely on their skills and creativity to survive without worrying about becoming "little giants" or "unicorns".

Therefore, in Guangdong's proposal for high-quality development, the development of the cultural industry also plays a crucial role. The recently released "Several Opinions on the High Quality Development of Guangdong in the New Era" clearly states: to increase the supply of high-quality spiritual and cultural resources. Actively cultivate cultural leading enterprises, accelerate the development of new cultural enterprises, cultural formats, and cultural consumption models, and build a new highland of cultural creativity. With the guidance of the wind, it seems natural for the seeds of culture to grow thick on the fertile soil of Lingnan.

Walking out of the venue of the Cultural Expo, the sound of oars on the river could be heard incessantly, and not far away, cargo ships from the port were intertwined. It is precisely the convergence of nine days of clouds and rain here that creates a landscape where rivers and seas intersect, and also shapes the inclusive and innovative personality of the people of Guangdong. After nineteen years, today's Cultural Expo is still constantly accepting new cultural factors, expanding platforms for ideological and creative exchanges, cultivating cultural roots, and deeply rooted in the city of advancement.