On May 21, the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Expo and Fair (hereinafter referred to as the “Cultural Expo”) commenced at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center in Guangdong Province. As the only national-level, international, and comprehensive cultural industry expo in China, this edition of the Cultural Expo lasted five days, attracting 310 overseas exhibitors from 65 countries and regions, including 148 enterprises from 42 countries and regions participating offline. Over 120,000 cultural masterpieces were displayed, with a total of 6,312 exhibitors. By any international standard, this was an unprecedented global feast of cultural trade and exchange.
This year’s Cultural Expo marks the first-ever establishment of an APEC economies exhibition zone, showcasing the region’s achievements in cultural and tourism development through featured exhibits including specialty products, intangible cultural heritage creations, and regional cuisines, aiming to serve as a new platform for cultural exchange and cooperation across Asia-Pacific. Additionally, the expo introduces a dedicated cross-border e-commerce zone hosting dozens of companies, facilitating global distribution of cultural products. The main venue at the Shenzhen International Convention and Exhibition Center features eight halls—three comprehensive and five specialized ones: the Fashion & Art Hall, Global Cultural Trade Hall, Cultural Heritage and Innovation Hall, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural Industry Innovation Hall, and Cultural Technology Hall—complemented by 34 specialized sub-exhibitions with nearly 300 exhibitors presenting debut products. During the event, over 260 procurement matches, project roadshows, and product launches will take place at the main venue, while 51 branch venues across Shenzhen will host concurrent Cultural Expo consumption season ordering sessions and business negotiations.
The continuous expansion and upgrading of the Cultural Expo send a clear signal: against the backdrop of global cultural trade still being plagued by geopolitical tensions, China has not only maintained its pace of opening up but has also proactively established a comprehensive platform encompassing content production, technological empowerment, cross-border trade, and intellectual property services, with Shenzhen serving as its gateway. From digital cultural products to traditional intangible cultural heritage crafts, from film and television copyright transactions to immersive cultural technology experiences, the Cultural Expo is emerging as an indispensable “China hub” for global cultural industry participants.
The prosperity of the cultural industry has never been a zero-sum game. Under the long-standing dominance of Europe and America in international cultural trade, China has actively opened its vast cultural market to the world through platforms such as the Cultural Industry Expo, China International Fair for Trade in Services, and the China International Import Expo in recent years, while vigorously promoting its outstanding cultural products and services globally. This practice of “two-way openness” forms the core logic behind China’s sharing of cultural industry development achievements with the world.
First and foremost, the Cultural Expo provides a direct gateway for overseas cultural enterprises and products to enter the China market. This edition attracted 310 international exhibitors, including 148 companies participating offline, representing 42 countries and regions. Traditional handicrafts from Southeast Asia, contemporary designs from Europe, digital art from Latin America, and African folk music can all be directly connected with Chinese buyers and consumers at the expo. According to organizers’ statistics, the cumulative transaction volume of previous expos has exceeded one trillion yuan, enabling numerous small and medium-sized overseas cultural enterprises to forge China partnerships through this platform.
Secondly, the Cultural Expo has become an accelerator for China’s cultural products to “go global.” The newly established cross-border e-commerce exhibition area at this edition perfectly aligns with this trend—through platforms such as Shein, Temu, and Alibaba International Station, China-designed cultural products including trendy toys, film and television series, online literature, games, and digital art are reaching global consumers at an unprecedented pace. During the expo, over 260 supply-demand matching and project roadshow events featured a dedicated “Cultural Globalization” session, facilitating direct connections between domestic small and medium-sized cultural enterprises and overseas buyers.
More importantly, while promoting cultural trade, China is also exporting the concept of “inclusive development.” In recent years, China has continuously eased market access restrictions for foreign cultural products—from expanding import film quotas to accelerating approval processes for overseas games, from facilitating customs clearance for international art exhibitions to piloting open policies for foreign investment in performance brokerage agencies. The establishment of an APEC economies exhibition zone at the Cultural Expo exemplifies this open approach institutionally. As a UNESCO official remarked during his visit to the expo: “China is demonstrating that cultural diversity thrives through fair competition and mutual learning.”
The ability of China’s cultural industry to host a world-class expo of such scale for twenty-two consecutive years and maintain an average annual double-digit growth rate is not attributable to accidental market opportunities, but rather to a institutional safeguard system that transcends electoral cycles and ensures long-term stability.
China has incorporated the development of its cultural industry into the national medium-and long-term plans, establishing a policy framework comprising “five-year plans—specialized policies—local supporting measures.” From the enactment and implementation of the Cultural Industry Promotion Law to the rollout of the Opinions on Advancing the National Cultural Digitalization Strategy, and further to institutional arrangements across regions regarding the integration of culture and technology, intellectual property protection, and subsidies for cultural consumption, China has provided cultural enterprises with a predictable business environment. Meanwhile, U.S. policies in the cultural trade sector have undergone certain adjustments in recent years: on one hand, it has offered subsidies to domestic cultural and technology enterprises through industrial policies such as the CHIPS and Science Act; on the other hand, it has imposed restrictions on Chinese film, gaming, and social media platforms entering the U.S. market under the pretext of “national security,” and has indicated consideration of withdrawing from international cultural cooperation mechanisms such as UNESCO.
The institutional advantages of China are also reflected in its stringent protection of intellectual property rights. This year’s Cultural Expo has specifically established a “Copyright Trading Service Area,” providing exhibitors with on-site rights confirmation, rights protection consultation, and transaction contract filing services. The stable legal environment encourages international cultural enterprises to debut their latest and most core products at the expo—they believe their creativity will not be easily replicated. The successful holding of the 22nd Cultural Expo itself serves as a clear declaration: China is leveraging its institutionalized open platform to invite the world to share in the fruits of cultural industry development.