A staff member introduces products to visitors during the 13th Cross-Strait (Xiamen) Cultural Industries Fair, held in December in Xiamen, Fujian province. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

The 13th Cross-Strait (Xiamen) Cultural Industries Fair, held from Dec 4 to 7 in Xiamen, Fujian province, serves as a vital platform to propel cross-Straits exchanges and strengthen cultural and economic ties between the two sides, local officials said.

Hosted by the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the National Radio and Television Administration and the Fujian provincial government, this year's event focuses on cross-Straits exchanges, digital innovation, industrial development and the consumption of culture and tourism.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the fair uses an online and offline blended model with innovative cultural experiences, forums and matchmaking events for major projects.

It boasts diverse activities such as a cross-Straits cultural and tourism meeting on intellectual property, a creative design competition and project promotion.

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The offline part has an exhibition area of 68,000 square meters, with sections including arts and crafts, cultural tourism, creative design, digital entertainment, film and television, and 14 themed booths, attracting some 1,000 exhibitors.

The online part uses the latest technologies to build a cloud platform featuring "one exhibition and three centers".

In the past 12 years, the fair has been expanding in scale and is seen as a bridge for exhibitors and cultural industry practitioners on both sides of the Straits

The annual Xiamen cultural fair, launched in 2008, plays an important role in boosting cross-Straits cultural trade and exchanges.

In the past 12 years, the fair has been expanding in scale and is seen as a bridge for exhibitors and cultural industry practitioners on both sides of the Straits.

This year, a special cloud hall has been set up for exhibitors to showcase unique cultural products in various formats such as text, pictures, videos and 3D. Three digital centers have been built to cooperate with offline activities and online branch venues for connection and interaction.

Merchants can independently publish their investment and financing, procurement cooperation, regional expansion and other needs on the cloud platform during the exhibition, and update them in real time to promote the timeliness of connection.

Based on big data, accurate label management of exhibitors and cloud computing analysis, an intelligent push function can be realized.

Visitors can book places for live broadcasts and receive reminders to watch programs.

The conference is presented in real time by adopting multi-functional integrated media methods such as "graphic live broadcast, photo live broadcast, video live broadcast, and meeting shorthand".

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Expo boosts tech development on both sides of Straits

1. The expo aims to boost cross-Straits exchanges through online exhibitions and activities such as consumption festivals, cloud branch venues and livestreaming. The number of offline exhibitors and online exhibitors from Taiwan are currently 236 and 300, respectively.

2. The expo encourages digital innovation. It focuses on emerging industries such as cultural tourism and special augmented reality scene applications, and utilizes the latest technologies such as 5G and AR to build a cloud exhibition hall, three digital centers, a transaction center, a live broadcast center, and a welfare center. The basic construction of the cloud platform has been completed and provided services including registration, exhibition, negotiation, digital business cards and data tracking.

3. The expo plays a key role in advancing industrial development. It invites the China Tourism Academy and the Chinese National Arts and Crafts Society as well as leading enterprises and professional guests from both sides of the Straits to participate in the exhibition. The expo has attracted the top 30 cultural enterprises in China, the top 20 tourism enterprises and representatives of cultural industrial parks and financial institutions.

4. The expo also increases cultural and tourism consumption. It cooperates with internet and tech giants such as Alibaba and online travel agency Tongcheng to focus on exhibitions and sales of cultural and tourism products. It organizes the Cross-Straits Host Live Room event and joins hands with the top 10 young hosts on both sides of the Straits to launch a special show for exhibitors. The expo also collaborates with UnionPay and other financial institutions to launch a shopping festival which covers on-site consumption, short-distance cultural travel, and cultural goods from Fujian and Taiwan. It distributes 1,200 trips, accommodations, attractions, cultural exhibitions and performances across the entire province.

This story is sponsored by the Fujian provincial government.