Technology Empowers Culture: 2023 Maritime Silk Road Culture and Tourism Expo Held in Ningbo
What fantastic surprises can be created as technology empowers culture? For instance, an AI-powered machine creating your own illusion, a virtual digital girl practicing real-time interaction, and the virtual reality live action role play (VR LARP) bringing an immersive game experience ...
The AI-powered DreamCo Dream Making Machine to create your own illusion. (Credit: NBCTE)
The 2023 Maritime Silk Road Culture and Tourism Expo was scheduled at Ningbo International Conference & Exhibition Center from June 30 to July 3. An assembly of cities including Guangzhou, Quanzhou, and Beihai — widely regarded as living fossils of the Maritime Silk Road — had their store of cultures to be explored. The expo also drew exhibitors from China’s best-known museums, such as the Oriental Metropolitan Museum and the China Grand Canal Museum from Zhejiang’s neighboring province Jiangsu. Tencent, Netease, Pop Mart, and other leading players in China’s pop culture industry showcased at the expo as well!
Headlined by the DreamCo Dream Making Machine and a virtual digital character named the Maritime Silk Girl, digital cultural exhibits ushered visitors into a futuristic world. Upon entering the “Back to the Cretaceous Period” section in Hall 3, the visitors would be warmly welcomed by four giant bionic dinosaurs reminiscent of the classic sci-fi series Jurassic Park. In Hall 4, the role-playing in the VR LARP games would bring the visitors immersive experiences at the light and shadow laboratory which resembles a fantasy-themed entertainment park. As for the kids, they would indulge themselves in the pleasures of meeting Dooro Bear, Mashimaro, Magic Martin, and all sorts of animated characters in the animation section. Other technologies on exhibition would offer a refreshing feast on humanoid robots from Singapore’s Neon Group, the marine life digital museum, virtual simulation, and naked-eye 3D technology, to name but a few.
This year’s expo also boasted a rich variety of cultural tourism products with local characteristics, displaying Ningbo’s city brands of the Yue Kiln Celadon, the Traditional Trousseau, and the Charm of Song Dynasty (960-1279) side by side with Shanghai’s unique style of culture, Chengdu’s Tianfu culture, Shaoxing Rice Wine, and items rich in ethnic characteristics from Qinghai, Sichuan, and other provinces. In addition, the expo initiated an international exhibition section, winning global attention from Japan, Indonesia, France, and Italy as well as many other countries and regions.
The Ningbo-themed exhibition section features the color of ocean blue. (Credit: NBCTE)
Ningbo is commonly regarded as the living memory of the ancient Silk Road. This city marks the starting port of the Maritime Silk Road and the key international gateway to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). As one of the co-host cities of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou this September, the coastal city is to host two major events of this Games, namely sailing & windsurfing and beach volleyball. To unveil the essence of Ningbo, the expo has dedicated a Ningbo-themed exhibition section. The Asian Games cultural tourism routes, digital cultural tourism, AR heritage restoration, intangible cultural heritage DIY, and other interactive experiences have been well integrated through leveraging graphics, digital screens, and creative scenery. The diversity of these exhibitions was seeking to develop a deeper connection between visitors and this Chinese coastal city’s cultural foundation and spiritual pursuits — to seek vitality, prosperity, and potency by the sea.
Journalists: Pan Wenjie (Intern), Xie Shuyi
Proofreaders: Fan Yeping, Huang Dawang, Jason Mowbray
