On October 18, the Second International Youth Entrepreneurship Forum themed “Shikumen and Innovative Culture” took place in Shanghai’s Huangpu District, guided by the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China. The event featured three main sections: “Trendy Cultural Creativity in Huangpu,” “International Cultural Tourism in Huangpu,” and “Cultural Integration in Huangpu,” all aimed at supporting the district’s high-quality development.
Huangpu District, known as one of the early adopters of cultural and creative industry parks in Shanghai, has recently focused on transforming and upgrading these cultural enterprises, now boasting 19 cultural and creative industry parks. During the forum, a directory of Huangpu’s cultural innovation parks was officially released.
As the heart, window, and calling card of Shanghai, Huangpu has significant potential for cultural and creative industry development. At the forum, Fang Jiansen, Deputy Minister of the Shanghai Municipal Committee’s United Front Work Department, and Lu Zheng, a Standing Committee Member of the Huangpu District Committee and Minister of the United Front Work Department, jointly launched the Huangpu Cultural Innovation and Youth Entrepreneurship Alliance.
The alliance, initiated by the Huangpu District Federation of Industry and Commerce, aims to consolidate various resources and provide a platform for communication and mutual development for the cultural industry and young entrepreneurs. Its framework comprises “office spaces + business districts + cultural and entertainment venues + several youth entrepreneurial companies,” with the initial member units receiving their certificates during the forum.
Cultural and tourism industries serve as vital indicators of a region’s cultural soft power and overall strength. Huangpu District leverages resources from Shanghai’s central urban area, integrating the entire ecological chain of the cultural industry to foster new business models that merge commerce, tourism, and culture. The forum featured a series of project signing ceremonies.
For example, in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Europe, Huangpu District plans to collaborate once again with the Belgium-Netherlands-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce to introduce outstanding foreign IP projects while guiding domestic projects abroad. This initiative seeks to foster in-depth partnerships in cultural and artistic fields, promoting the flourishing of the cultural and tourism industries through various channels.
Additionally, the forum announced the start of the 2025 Thailand Yuyuan Lantern Festival project. Following the success of last year’s lantern festival, which helped spread Chinese culture overseas, the event will take place in Thailand in 2025. Moreover, Huangpu District introduced the “Meet China” micro-video project, featuring a City Walk that connects the Chinese diaspora in France and Hungary with youth from Huangpu District, showcasing links among the architectural cultures of Paris, Budapest, and Shanghai.
The forum also hosted a roundtable discussion, featuring Tang Yicheng, founder of Boxin Universe and curator of “The Missing Pharaoh,” along with Professor Chen Zhao from Fudan University’s School of Economics and Chen Hong, President of Debon Group. They explored the theme of “Cultural Empowerment in Breaking Through Industry Barriers and Delving into Future Blue Oceans.”
In addition, the forum marked the launch of the third “Free-spirited, Striving for Excellence” National Trendy Youth Power Conference, which aims to showcase the prowess of freelancers and IP brands, driving the integration of intangible cultural heritage with new consumer industries to inject fresh momentum into the preservation and innovative development of China’s traditional culture.
