Shenzhen ICIF Opens: AI Drives Cultural Industry Growth

Shenzhen ICIF Opens: AI Drives Cultural Industry Growth

The 22nd China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) opened on May 21, 2026, with “digital intelligence” — the fusion of digital technology and artificial intelligence — as its defining theme. The fair, which added “digitalization” to its signature features of professionalism, market orientation and internationalism last year, has now upgraded the keyword to “digital intelligence.” The shift reflects how AI is reshaping China’s cultural sector from production to distribution.

AI in an Ancient Hakka Town

In Shenzhen’s Gankeng Ancient Town, a centuries-old Hakka settlement, visitors lined up for AI portrait robots and AI glasses that explain sights and translate on the spot, while a mixed-reality experience, “A Guest from the High Tang,” recreates a Tang-dynasty garden at the Twenty-Four Histories Academy. Staff say visitor numbers have risen since the AI features were introduced around the Spring Festival. Nearby, the private Fanya Museum opened its Southeast Asian Ancient Art Exhibition with an AI guide; director You Zhuofan says the technology has cut costs while broadening the museum’s public reach.

AI Powering Producers and Distributors

The fair showcased AI across the whole industry chain. Shenzhen’s Yuanxiang Technology says its AI-plus-3D solutions serve more than 100 cities and major cultural landmarks worldwide. Ye Xiaodong, whose Ju Youqu Culture comic-drama studio in Longgang grew from a dozen to more than 70 staff in under two years, reported that a self-developed platform now produces 100 comic dramas a month — 90 percent generated with AI, while top intellectual property remains handcrafted. Kuku Culture’s AI system translates a short drama in about six hours, and its localized content earns three to five times the overseas playback of Chinese originals, reaching more than 300 million users across 200-plus countries. Liu Lei, director of Shenzhen’s culture and tourism bureau, said the fair aims to embed AI throughout the cultural industry chain.

Culture Going Global

Cultural exports are another highlight. Shenzhen’s original dance drama “Wing Chun” completed 20 performances in Toronto this year — a record for a Chinese dance drama in a single overseas city — as the two cities marked a decade of friendship. Data show Shenzhen’s cultural enterprises above designated size earned over 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025, up 16.6 percent year on year, with new cultural business formats growing 22.7 percent. As intelligent technology reshapes the industry nationwide, this year’s ICIF makes the case that digital power can be turned into cultural momentum.

Source: https://www.badouart.com/27838.html