On December 24, China Daily launched a special report on "Changsha Strives to Build an International Cultural and Creative Center".
Reporter Feng Zhiwei Zhu Youfang
The cultural and creative industry is a sunrise industry, full of unlimited imagination space, and is an important part of the current new economy. In Changsha, Hunan, which has thousands of years of cultural heritage, innovation has given new connotations to ancient cultures and promoted the prosperity and development of cultural and creative industries. Today, Changsha is aiming to build an international cultural and creative center and polish the world's beautiful business card of "Media Art Capital".
Changsha, also known as the "Star City", is a city that has been unchanged for 3,000 years and has been shining with creative sparks for thousands of years. 3,000 years ago, the exquisite bronze model "Four Sheep Fang zun" represented the heights reached by human civilization; 1400 years ago, Li Bi, a Changsha native, lit a "firework" and turned the gunpowder on the battlefield into a "love poem dedicated to the sky"; more than 1,000 years ago, Changsha's porcelain sailed away, and the thousand-year-old shipwreck "Black Stone" found in Indonesia witnessed the history of the ancient Silk Road.
Beautiful fireworks blooming on both sides of the river in Changsha.
Changsha, which has a long cultural history, has formed sister cities or concluded friendly cooperative relations with 52 cities in 31 countries, China (Changsha) International Sculpture Culture and Art Festival, Meixi Lake International Culture and Art Week, China Golden Eagle Television Art Festival, China Orange Island International Photography Culture Festival and East Asian Cultural Capital Changsha Activity Year and other festivals, attracting a group of foreign artists to come, Changsha is becoming more and more active on the international cultural stage, has held more than 1,000 international exchange activities, Inspire cultural resonance in interactions.
In November 2017, UNESCO announced that Changsha had joined the Global Creative Cities Network, becoming the first city in China to be awarded the world's "Media Arts Capital", which means that Changsha's cultural and creative fields, especially media arts, have been highly praised and recognized by the international community.
Joining the "Creative City Network" and being awarded the title of "Media Art Capital" in the world will undoubtedly provide an important impetus for Changsha to build an international cultural and creative center, comprehensively enhance the city's international image and city brand, and promote the internationalization of urban culture.
Changsha not only has a profound historical and cultural heritage, but also has a strong cultural and creative atmosphere. In changsha today, creativity gives new connotations and values to culture, and the use of high technology makes media art bloom with new brilliance. At present, the "lights" of new media art such as digital video, digital fireworks, and digital lights illuminate the media art stage in Changsha, which not only shortens the distance between the city and the citizens, promotes the development of the cultural and creative industry, but also becomes an important means to promote the development of the city.
Changsha Meixi Lake Culture and Arts Center.
Culture is both soft power and soft economy. At present, Changsha's cultural and creative industries have shown explosive growth, with a total output value of more than 200 billion yuan, attracting more than 250,000 talents of all kinds to innovate and start a business every year, and some leading enterprises have moved from domestic to international. Zhongnan Media, Happy Sunshine, Blue Cat Animation, Mango International and other local cultural enterprises have been rated as national key cultural export enterprises, and the original animation programs of "Bobcat Jimi" are exported to 71 countries along the "Belt and Road".
Fireworks are a representative element of Chinese culture, and today they have become a universal cultural symbol and a common expression of emotion. Fireworks manufacturing industry is Changsha's traditional advantage industry, creative fireworks is based on the traditional fireworks manufacturing industry, integrated into digital lighting, digital music and visual design and other media art elements, to create a refreshing new media art fireworks products.
"No creativity, no fireworks." Changsha strives to promote the deep integration of the fireworks industry and media art, and enhance the added value of the industry through cultural creativity. Fireworks from Changsha bloomed at many major events at home and abroad, including Beijing APEC, SCO Qingdao Summit, Beijing World Horticultural Exposition, Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum, and the First China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
A river of poetry paintings, fireworks all over the city. Today, the total export of fireworks from Changsha accounts for more than 60% of the national total, and it is exported to more than 100 countries and regions around the world.
Changsha's "three halls and one hall" concentrates landmark buildings such as Changsha Concert Hall and Changsha Museum, and is an important position for Changsha's culture and art.
Comprehensively integrate with the creative city network, work together to create a series of activities of changsha media art festival, build a media art agglomeration area that reflects the characteristics of Huxiang, and promote the construction of a world tourist destination... In addition to vigorously developing cultural and creative industries, Changsha continues to polish the golden signboard of the world's "Media Art Capital" and strives to build a world-renowned city brand.
Since being awarded the world's "Media Art Capital", Changsha has held the "Belt and Road" Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum and the Changsha Media Art Festival for many years, vividly demonstrating Changsha's profound cultural heritage to youth representatives of countries and regions along the "Belt and Road", promoting the city's image to the world, and producing a sustained and extensive international impact.
On December 17 this year, the 2021 Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum Special Dialogue Event, co-sponsored by UNESCO, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, the Changsha Municipal People's Government and the Nanjing Municipal People's Government, was held in Changsha. In the context of the epidemic, Changsha once again invited young people from all over the world to collide wisdom, stir up ideas, transmit feelings, and gather consensus.
"As a city of innovation and creativity, Changsha attaches great importance to the development of cultural and creative industries. Changsha's media art, with its cross-cutting and inclusive characteristics, has become an important force in promoting the organic renewal of the urban landscape while protecting the excellent local cultural heritage. Xia Zehan, Representative of UNESCO's Representative Office in China, said that UNESCO is willing to further strengthen exchanges and cooperation with Changsha, and provide work guidance and intellectual support to help Changsha build an international cultural and creative center and work with the world's youth to promote Changsha's sustainable urban development.
"Culture + Technology" Writes the "Malanshan Practice" of Shouzheng Innovation
MalanShan was once a barren land on the banks of the Liuyang River in Changsha's Kaifu District. Today, a cultural and creative industrial park in Zhongguancun, Beijing, has risen here. In recent years, this "land of bullets" has risen rapidly in the field of culture and creativity, bringing together more than 3,200 cultural and creative enterprises of various types, and laying out many plates such as Chuangzhi Park, Zhongchuang Park, China Network Literature Town, And FuhuiGu Video Cultural and Creative Base. In the field of culture and creativity, the integration of culture and technology has become one of the codes for Malanshan to tell Chinese stories well.
Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park is focusing on building a "China V Valley".
In January 2021, in order to celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, Malanshan launched the "Red Classic Image Restoration Project" around the red cultural film and television works with important historical value to carry out the restoration and digital construction of related works.
In March 2021, the first project of the "Red Classic Image Restoration Project", the black-and-white film "Lei Feng", completed the restoration and coloring of pictures and videos, and a full-color red classic film came into being. The movie "Lei Feng" is a typical creative work spawned by the "culture + technology" of the park.
"We plan to build a digital restoration and artificial intelligence coloring production line, establish a classic film and television restoration process and high-format film and television restoration technical standards." Strive to complete the restoration of 100 red classic images in 5 years, and build Malanshan into the largest 4K red classic image restoration, storage, dissemination, distribution and inheritance education base in China. Zou Benmiao, secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park, said.
The park insists on putting social benefits in the first place, firmly grasps the correct orientation, abides by the correct innovation, vigorously cultivates and carries forward the core values of socialism, strives to achieve the organic unity of social and economic benefits, and ensures the sustained and healthy development of the cultural industry. In the key construction projects of the park, the principle of unifying social benefits and economic benefits is fully reflected.
Malanshan 5G Smart Radio is the first self-developed audio integration system in China, which uses 5G+AI technology to allow an editor to "flash" a set of radio programs including virtual hosts in just 3 minutes. It can also be combined with village communication, village loudspeakers, and emergency broadcasts to quickly and accurately send the party's voice to the field.
In the prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, this system has played an important role in the weak links of rural epidemic prevention propaganda. At present, 5G smart radio has signed contracts with 342 radio frequencies in 27 provinces and across the country, with an annual program output of 9,000 hours, which meets the program needs of national cooperation frequencies to the greatest extent.
The artificial intelligence sign language project independently developed by the park has launched a virtual sign language anchor and a series of products, and its AI sign language translation digital technology not only liberates manpower, but also greatly activates the use of sign language. This set of artificial intelligence sign languages has provided sign language interpretation for the online meeting of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation, and has been promoted and used by more than 100 TV stations in 23 provinces across the country.
At present, the Malanshan Video Cultural and Creative Industrial Park is focusing on the construction of three major platforms, namely the Key Laboratory of 5G High-tech Video Multi-scenario Application of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the "Malanshan Box" of the large-bit rate audio and video wireless image transmission technology platform of China Unicom Malanshan Research Institute, and the online platform China "V" chain of video content "confirmation, protection and transaction" explored and established by the Blockchain Research Institute. In addition, the park is also stepping up the construction of four key projects, including the red culture digital presentation project, the artificial sign language project, the 5G smart radio, and the Changsha advanced manufacturing 5G cloud VR digital platform.
It is understood that in the next three years, Malanshan will also build three core industrial chains: content creation and IP derivative business chain, high-format film and television industrialization technology chain, digital twin and visual preview multi-scene application chain.
Promote exchanges and mutual learning among different civilizations in the world
On December 17 this year, the 2021 Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum Special Dialogue Event, co-organized by UNESCO, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO, the Changsha Municipal People's Government and the Nanjing Municipal People's Government, was held, and youth representatives from countries along the "Belt and Road", officials of UNESCO, the Chinese National Commission for UNESCO and relevant experts attended the online meeting and offline activities.
Since the first Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum was held in Changsha in 2017, this event has become a benchmark for friendly cooperation. Between Changsha and countries along the "Belt and Road", Changsha and the member cities of the UNESCO "Creative Cities Network", an important platform for cultural exchanges has been built, which has opened a window for Changsha's culture to "go out" and young people from all over the world to "walk in", build a bridge, and promote exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
The 2021 "Belt and Road" Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum Special Dialogue Event was held in Changsha, attended by Chen Peng (middle), member of the Standing Committee of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee, director of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee and vice mayor.
The theme of this year's special dialogue is "Enhancing Youth Leadership in Innovative Creativity, Heritage Protection and Resilient Development", which aims to promote exchanges between young people around the world through dialogue, collide constructive ideas and innovative solutions in innovative ideas, heritage protection and resilient development, and inject positive energy into the international fight against the epidemic.
Zheng Jianxin, deputy secretary of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee and mayor, said in a video speech at the online event of the forum that Changsha is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 3,000 years, and it is also a vibrant city of youth and an open and inclusive innovation city. In recent years, Changsha has insisted on integrating innovative and creative concepts into the whole process of urban construction, industrial development and environmental optimization, promoted the deep integration of media art and traditional industries, and incubated emerging creative industries such as creative fireworks and digital video. Changsha will closely follow the goal of building an international cultural and creative center, and look forward to continuously strengthening exchanges and deepening cooperation with the member cities of the Creative Cities Network, opening up new horizons of culture and creativity in scientific and technological innovation, network interconnection and digital transformation, contributing cultural strength to the sustainable development of the city, and making efforts to build a closer community of human destiny.
Youth representatives from Changsha and young people from all over the world held heated discussions on topics such as "resilient World Heritage protection" and "building a resilient and inclusive city".
Youth representatives from home and abroad participated in the 2021 Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum Special Dialogue Event.
The 2021 China Changsha "C+C" Media Arts International Residency Project Exhibition was also launched recently. The project invited 8 young artists at home and abroad to visit Changsha for one and a half months, they walked into Tongguan Kiln, Chaozong Street, Malanshan, Yuelu Academy, the cultural and historical heritage of Changsha and the trajectory of urban development into artistic creation, through the means of media art, created 8 groups of art works engraved with Changsha symbols and cultural characteristics, and presented a more colorful Changsha with innovative creativity and imagination.
The Dream of the Red Chamber by Portuguese artist Joseph Dimor looks like a black room with a red labyrinth on the wall. The really amazing thing about this work is the sound, walking into the room, and the ears are instantly filled with a burst of muffled sounds. According to the artist, the frequency of these sound waves is close to that of brain waves, with the aim of creating a meditation space, which is inspired by the artist's experience of meditation in Yuelu Mountain.
The Belt and Road Youth Creativity and Heritage Forum is an international youth cultural exchange activity held under the framework of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China, and since the first forum was held in April 2017, it has built an important platform for cultural exchanges between Changsha and countries along the "Belt and Road" and the member cities of UNESCO's "Creative Cities Network", opening a window for Changsha culture to "go out" and young people from all over the world to "walk in". It has built a bridge and promoted exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations.
Chen Peng, member of the Standing Committee of the Changsha Municipal Party Committee, director of the Publicity Department of the Municipal Party Committee and vice mayor, said that Changsha is a city where tradition and modernity, elegance and fashion, culture and economy shine together, and it is also a creative city full of taste and inspiration. Changsha will further integrate media art into the improvement of urban quality, cultivate the city's cultural and creative atmosphere, promote the city's foreign cultural exchanges, continuously enhance Changsha's international influence, and build Changsha into a new highland of innovation and creativity in China and a new coordinate of media art in the world.