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Intl. cultural feast merges traditions, techs

Writer: Chen Siqi  |  Editor: Lin Songtao  |  From: Shenzhen Daily  |  Updated: 2023-06-07

The 19th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) will officially raise its curtain at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center in Bao’an District today. The fair will simultaneously kick off online at its official website www.cnicif.com and WeChat miniprogram “文博会+.”

The five-day event has gathered around 3,600 government delegations, enterprises and institutions to present their cultural products online and offline at six halls that cover an exhibition area of 120,000 square meters in total.

The six halls are the Digital Culture Hall (Hall 9), Cultural Industries Hall A (Hall 10), Cultural Industries Hall B (Hall 12), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Hall (Hall 11), Cultural & Tourism Consumption Hall and Belt and Road International Pavilion (Hall 13), and Crafts and Art Design Hall (Hall 14).

What can you expect to see at the fair? Come and have a look into its highlights.

Becoming global

The fair has brought together over 300 overseas exhibitors, which will set up online and offline booths at the Belt and Road International Pavilion in Hall 13, the biggest number in the fair’s history and triple the number in 2015 when the pavilion was first launched. More than 20,000 professional visitors from over 100 countries and regions have so far confirmed their participation.

The exhibition booths of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America at the international pavilion will feature cultural tourism, entertainment, art designs, innovative designs and digital culture. Australia’s indigenous artworks and trendy cultural products will be showcased.

Traditional Chinese culture

ICIF will definitely be an eye-opener for people who are passionate about traditional Chinese culture, where visitors can have a close look at intangible cultural heritages, precious relics and items “revived” by the digital technology.

The two cultural industries halls A and B have collected diverse artworks, relics and creative products to fulfill one’s curiosity. Three relics unearthed from the Sanxingdui Ruins in Sichuan Province, including two bronze masks, will be on display at the Sichuan booth in Hall 10. Visitors can also have an immersive experience to color 10 pieces of Dunhuang grotto murals replicated by the digital technology at the Gansu booth in Hall 13.

A wide range of intangible cultural heritages, crafts and art designs will be showcased at Hall 14. The pyrography gourd of the Chen family of Tianjin, an aristocrat family with a history of over 2,000 years, will be displayed at the hall. The pyrography technique of a gourd, with artists creating a painting on the gourd, using materials such as a wooden board and bamboo, originated from the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.).

The delegation from Shandong Province will bring innovations on intangible cultural heritage. One is Chinese shadow puppets, which will be staged at Hall 10 to narrate stories about astronauts using characters with intellectual property of the China National Space Administration.

Tech empowers culture

For the first time, this year’s ICIF has set up the Digital China booth, covering an area of 1,517 square meters, to present the country’s digital tech achievements applied in various fields. Cultural enterprises in 5G, big data, clod computing and artificial intelligence will showcase their latest achievements at the booth.

Powered by virtual reality (VR) panoramic technology, the virtual 19th ICIF will simulate its offline exhibition halls to showcase displays from the exhibitors.

Online visitors can check out ICIF through its official website www.cnicif.com and its WeChat miniprogram “文博会+.” There will be dozens of virtual humans to host nine hours of livestreaming per day during the fair.

Offline visitors can play multiple VR games developed by the Fangte mateverse after putting on a VR headset. This year’s ICIF introduces its first digital ticket, with a limited edition of 1,000 pieces.

In addition, a series of supporting events, such as seminars, forums and promotional events, and a creational contest, will also be held during the fair.

Visitors are reminded to retrieve a guide map from the information centers. Foreign visitors could ask for translation service at the information desk if needed.

Time: June 7-11

Opening hours: 10:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., June 7; 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., June 8-10; 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m., June 11

Tickets: 50 yuan (US$7) for adults, 20 yuan for children

Booking: WeChat account “深圳文博会”

Venue: Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center, Bao’an District (深圳国际会展中心)

Online visiting: ICIF official website www.cnicif.com or WeChat miniprogram “文博会+”

Metro: Line 12 or 20 to Shenzhen World Station (国展站) to Halls 1-12, Shenzhen World North Station (国展北站) to Halls 13-20

Parking fee: 10 yuan for the first hour, with a maximum of 33 yuan for the whole day