Shenzhen’s Luohu district is moving to strengthen cultural exchanges and collaboration with Hong Kong with a monthlong cultural event that includes a music carnival, movie show, art exhibition and esports competition.

The 2024 Luohu Shenzhen-Hong Kong Culture Month, which kicked off on Thursday, aims to provide a platform for business areas, cultural enterprises and cultural venues in Luohu to showcase themselves and expand their markets.

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“We also hope to build a bridge of communication between Shenzhen and Hong Kong to promote the smooth flow of people, goods and information,” said Xia Dong, Luohu district’s executive deputy chief.

Luohu is one of the districts in Shenzhen that has the longest and closet connection with Hong Kong. About 40,000 Hong Kong residents live in Luohu, and over 6,400 Hong Kong enterprises have set up offices there

Working and entrepreneurial opportunities will be offered for youths from the two cities during the event, which will inject a fresh incentive for both sides to deepen integration, he said during the event’s opening ceremony in Shenzhen on Friday.

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With “Hong Kong classic music and movie” as this year’s theme, the cultural feast will feature several music festivals, immersing audiences in the sea of classic Cantonese songs that emotionally resonate with them.

Classic kung fu and comedy movies from Hong Kong will be played both in cinemas and in the open air, along with art exhibitions featuring the works of martial arts novelist Louis Cha, better known as Jin Yong.

The district will also organize cycling, tai chi and esports competitions as part of the event’s activities to enable residents from Shenzhen and Hong Kong to experience the charm of the local culture.

The Culture Month is held once a year. Last year’s inaugural event, with food as its theme, attracted more than 1,000 brands and over 4 million visitors. “The event has sparked a cultural heat wave in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, which has greatly promoted talent exchanges and industrial development on the two sides,” Xia said.

Luohu is one of the districts in Shenzhen that has the longest and closet connection with Hong Kong. About 40,000 Hong Kong residents live in Luohu, and over 6,400 Hong Kong enterprises have set up offices there.

Three main Shenzhen-Hong Kong crossing points are situated in the district — namely, Lo Wu, Man Kam To, and Heung Yuen Wai on the Hong Kong side. Over 30 million cross-boundary trips were made via Luohu Port in the first half of the year, with the highest daily tally reaching 248,000, according to official data.

Luohu is intensifying efforts to develop cultural industry with a focus on film and television. It introduced 10 measures on Friday to promote high-quality development of the film and television sector.

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Newly established enterprises in Luohu will be granted up to 1 million yuan ($138,000) in incentives, and those that grow at a certain rate in the next two years will receive up to 500,000 yuan each year.

The district government will provide financial support for enterprises to buy office space, capped at 100 million yuan. A 30 percent subsidy in office rents will be offered for three years.

“As a pioneering area of reform and opening-up, Luohu owns a rich cultural heritage and geographical advantage of neighboring Hong Kong. It is an important window to showcase the achievements of reform and opening-up to the world,” said Hu Xu, founder of Shenzhen-based cultural firm Shenzhen Tian Tian Cheng Zhang Film and Television Productions Ltd.

“The launch of the new policy ... will promote cultural exchanges and trade between China and foreign countries, and enhance international influence and brand image of Shenzhen.”

Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com