By Yang Yangteng, Jiang Tianjiao

The 8th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair, which lasted for four days, concluded this afternoon. As of 12 p.m. of the 21st, total transaction of the Fair amounted to RMB 143.29 billion Yuan, RMB 18.741 billion more than that of last year's fair, an increase of 15.05 percent.

The 8th ICIF takes a step further to highlight the theme of the exhibition, improve quality and content, elevate the level of professionalization and internationalization, enhance its investment and financing platform function, and optimize exhibition management and service, achieving the goals of hosting a cultural industries fair that is of higher level, yields better results, and is more influential than the previous event. 1,928 government delegates and enterprises from around the country took part in the fair, 32 more than that in last year's event. 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government, and Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau participated in the fair. The number of viewers totaled at 3,483,600, with 627,100 of them being professional viewers who actively took part in all kinds of activities, an increase of 24.77 percent compared with last year's fair. The structure of the audience has been further optimized.   

Thanks to increased investment in China's cultural industries, projects that exhibitors brought to the Fair were more targeted and operable. With thorough communication in advance, the transaction function of this year's Fair is more substantial, yielding more substantive results, with contract transaction dramatically exceeding transaction of intent for the first time and becoming the most important transaction method. The total transaction volume amounted to RMB 143.29 billion Yuan, an increase of 15.05 percent. Among this amount, contract transaction amounted to RMB 87.562 billion Yuan, accounting for 61.11 percent of total transaction, an increase of 45.82 percent; transaction of intent amounted to RMB 48.582 Yuan, accounting for 33.9 percent of total transaction; retail transaction amounted to RMB 6.362 Yuan, accounting for 4.44 percent; auction transaction amounted to RMB 784 million Yuan, accounting for 0.55 percent of total. Transaction of the core layer of the cultural industries amounted to RMB 25.609 billion Yuan.

This year's ICIF highlighted the newest technology and latest industrial trend and achievements of Chinese and foreign cultural industries. It has been a grand event of cultural creativity and a stage of technological innovation. The feature of "integration of culture and technology; linkage between creativity and market" has been made even more prominent. As of 12 p.m. of the 21st, transaction of technology-based cultural industries in this Fair amounted to RMB 59.877 billion Yuan, an increase of 35.86 percent. 

The 8th ICIF laid special stress on the core layer of cultural industries, thoroughly exhibiting new trends and contents of the industries, including "culture + technology", "culture + creativity", "culture + tourism", "culture + finance", and "culture + recreation". The event promoted the integration and innovation of culture and technology, and highlighted such contents as greenness and low carbon and new technology. Its cultural content was richer, and its level and taste were elevated. Participating enterprises had greater relevance and influence, and exhibited projects were richer in cultural content and possessed higher brand awareness and quality. The Press and Publishing Pavilion set up an "exhibition area on the achievements of the reform and development of press and publishing". The Intangible Cultural Heritage Pavilion increased access standard, emphasizing on the cultural content of products. The Taiwan Cultural Creativity Pavilion set up six exhibition areas, including the museum number value experience area. The Macau Creativity Pavilion was held for the seventh consecutive year, making it one of the major highlights of the Fair.

Facing the adversities caused by the poor performance of the European economy, this year's ICIF has increased relevancy in inviting overseas customers. The internationalization level of the event has been further elevated, and the volume and standard of oversea delegates were markedly improved than that in previous years. 16,081 foreign buyers coming from 95 countries and regions took part in the event, 4,000 more than the number in last year. However, due to such factors as the American economic crisis, the European debt crisis, and uncertainties in the Middle East, export transaction decreased in this year's Fair. The structure of foreign buyers has also undergone subtle changes. The number of buyers from North America was larger than that in previous years; there were less buyers coming from Europe, but they had clearer purchase objectives; the number of buyers from Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan increased to certain extent. As of 12 p.m. of the 21st, export transaction of cultural products amounted to RMB 11.522 billion Yuan, a decrease of 7.16 percent compared with the RMB 12.411 billion Yuan in last year, which was mainly caused by decrease of export to Europe and Middle East. The number of professional foreign viewers visiting the exhibition halls reached 131,500, which is 24,300 more than that of last year, an increase of 22.67 percent. 

During the ICIF, the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the CPC and the Ministry of Science and Technology had convened the "Culture and Technology Integration Seminar", publishing the list of the first group of 16 national culture and technology integration demonstration bases.