Virtual cultural fair opens

A computer-generated model of Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center is seen at the entrance of the virtual exhibition halls of the 16th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF). 

The 16th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) opened online yesterday for the first time due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Huang Kunming, head of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, made a virtual inspection tour to exhibition halls of the fair via video links yesterday.

The fair will involve online exhibitions, online trade and online contract signing with the support of 5G, VR, cloud computing, AI and other emerging technologies.

Two channels, specifically the website, www.cnicif.com, and the WeChat mini-program, 文博会, officially opened at 4 p.m. yesterday for online visits to the five-day event, which will wrap up Friday.

In two hours, the two platforms received some 480,000 visits, according to the organizer.

The fair will post livestream lectures on Chinese culture and tourism resources and introduce the nation’s latest cultural achievements and products.

Viewers can stroll around the 12 virtual exhibition halls with the support of 5G, virtual reality, big data and AI technologies, while a cloud-based signing system will allow them to ink contracts online as well.

A total of 3,243 enterprises and institutions from 30 countries and regions are displaying 21,572 exhibits during the fair, 40.3 percent more than the previous fair.

Nearly 10,000 purchasers from foreign countries in Asia, Europe and South Africa and along the Belt and Road have registered to attend the fair.

For the convenience of foreign purchasers and exhibitors, all contents shown on the two platforms are made available in English, together with a translator machine provided by Tencent, which supports simultaneous interpreting.

As the technical service provider of this year’s fair, Tencent has combined a series of its products, including Tencent cloud and big data, to allow exhibitors to showcase their products and projects via photos, videos and 3D virtual booths, said Wang Zhiteng, technical director in charge of the ICIF project from Tencent, during an interview at the offline news center of the fair yesterday.

In addition, exhibitors and purchasers can communicate via a platform supporting instant message. An online consultation platform can also provide a total of 5 million virtual meeting rooms for visitors to conduct business negotiations.

When entering the Beijing booth in Hall 1, visitors can see a virtual character featuring Xu Chunni, a hostess of Beijing TV, serving as a guide.

It is said that Tencent has designed the first virtual intellectual property (IP) character on the online platform of the fair with the help of the AI technology.

Billed as the No. 1 fair of China’s cultural industries, ICIF was officially launched in Shenzhen in 2004 and has since become an annual event.