While Paris presents an Olympic feast to a worldwide audience, a company from Shenzhen is offering a visual aerial feast, casting a technological glow over The City of Light.

Even before the opening of the Games, Shenzhen HighGreat Innovation Technology Development Co Ltd has been staging a variety of Olympic-themed drone formations. At the celebration of the Olympic flame’s arrival in Paris on July 14, the company maneuvered 1,100 drones to form various patterns like the Olympic rings, the Eiffel Tower, and the Olympic torch.

The drones were equipped with fireworks, which as they detonated  in various formations around the Eiffel Tower made the visual effects even more stunning.

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Jiang Xiaotong, one of HighGreat’s managers, explained that the drone-mounted fireworks “do not release any harmful substances” so they are more environmentally friendly, compared to traditional fireworks.

On July 27, the drones put on a show above the Palace of Versailles; it will continue regularly until the middle of September.

Gao Jian, general manager of the drone performance provider, said the drones, which they had been developing for more than one year, can also carry laser and smoke machines.

According to the company, a French delegation reached out to them long before the Games and visited their base in Longgang district of Shenzhen before inking a cooperation agreement. Its manufacturing base covers 40,000 square meters and it also has one of the world’s largest fleets of 60,000 drones in formation.

“We provided the equipment and software, while our French partners contributed creativity and design. The performance at this Olympics is a fusion of our respective strengths,” Jiang said.

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HighGreat is one of the national-level specialized and innovative “little giant” enterprises; it estimates  it has captured more than 70 percent of the global UAV formation flight system market. So far, it has executed more than 5,000 performances worldwide, including drone light shows at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Singapore’s New Year countdown celebration in 2022, and the United Arab Emirates’ 50th anniversary.

Jiang said the company also intends to tap the markets in Hong Kong, Brazil, the United States, Canada, and Southeast Asia. In May, it provided drones for the Doraemon-themed shows in Hong Kong.

HighGreat is just one example of Guangdong enterprises’ contribution to the Olympics. Another is Shenzhen Absen Optoelectronics Co, which supplied over 50 giant video screens which were stationed on the banks of the River Seine at the Olympics opening ceremony.

Thanks to the tailwind of the Olympics, trade between Guangdong and France has heated up this year. According to statistics from the Customs department, bilateral trade between the two powerhouses amounted to 53.39 billion yuan ($7.36 billion) in the first half of this year, marking a 4 percent year-on-year increase. Among them, exports surged by 11.5 percent to 38.85 billion yuan.

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Chen He, director of the Institute of International Trade and Economics at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, stressed that small and medium-sized enterprises should further enhance their brand awareness and market competitiveness to sustain the momentum of the “Olympic economy” and keep expanding their market presence in France with an eye on the long-term.

In addition, the European Union’s prioritization of low-carbon green initiatives also provides new development opportunities for companies in Guangdong, Chen added.

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com