Intl. students explore culture and innovation at Shenzhen's cultural expo

The 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, known as ICIF, opened at the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center on May 21, drawing visitors with a wide range of cultural products and new technologies.

International students explore the 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair. Photos by  Liu Xudong

Among the visitors were dozens of international students, who came to explore the latest developments in China’s cultural industries and experience how technology is reshaping the way culture is presented.

Held in Shenzhen in the opening year of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan and the year Shenzhen hosts APEC meetings, this year’s ICIF features more than 120,000 cultural products, with nearly 300 exhibitors making their debut at the fair.

With AI-powered applications as a major focus, the expo showcases the integration of digital technologies with the cultural industry. Exhibitions cover emerging areas including low-altitude tourism, digital performances, artificial intelligence, animation, games and esports, intangible cultural heritage, fashion and lifestyle, and museum-related cultural products.

For the international students, the expo offered a glimpse into both traditional culture and China’s rapidly evolving cultural technology.

Qaisar Hayat from Pakistan said this was his third time visiting the expo and that he had seen it improve year after year.

“There are many new technologies, and I really enjoy it,” he said.

One highlight for him was an interactive robot that danced alongside visitors.

“I really wanted to dance with that robot,” he said. “I can follow that robot, and that robot can follow me as well. The rhythm, everything was the same as I do.”

Robotics was also the part of the exhibition that impressed him most.

Boni Kouande Josepha Karell-Duteis from Cote d'Ivoire said it was her second time attending an event at the venue. While her previous visit focused on technology, this time she came to explore cultural heritage.

“My first impression would be that it’s really, really beautiful,” she said. “There is a lot of creativity from different people here.”

Among the displays, an AI-powered coffee machine caught her attention for its ability to print images on the surface of coffee.

“I was really happy to see the coffee machine because it could print some image on the coffee,” she said.

The expo is showcasing how traditional culture, creative industries and emerging technologies are coming together, giving young visitors from across the Asia-Pacific a window into China’s cultural development.