THE coastal city of Ningbo, in east China’s Zhejiang Province, hosted the 2016 China (Ningbo) Cultural Industries Fair recently in honor of the city’s designation as a 2016 Culture City of East Asia. This prestigious honor reflects Ningbo’s dedication to protecting its intangible cultural heritage and establishing itself as a cultural capital of China, as well as promoting its culture throughout the rest of the world.

The fair featured a series of lectures and events concerning international cooperation on matters of cultural protection, Ningbo’s cultural industry, and the protection of Ningbo’s intangible cultural heritage, thereby highlighting the components of Ningbo’s three-pronged strategy for the city’s development as a cultural hub.

During the fair, representatives from Japan and South Korea, the other two countries involved in the East Asian Culture City initiative, joined Chinese officials to celebrate the city’s selection as a 2016 Culture City and reaffirm the three countries’ united efforts to promote and protect the indelible culture of East Asia.

Ningbo plans to work in tandem with Nara and Cheju — the 2016 Culture Cities of Japan and South Korea, respectively — to promote Ningbo’s culture abroad. According to Zhao Huifeng, the director of Ningbo Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, the city will host over 100 activities for the 2016 Culture City of East Asia program, including the East Asian Art Festival, the Tian Yi Ge Forum, and the China, South Korea, and Japan Buddhism Convention.

In addition, the other two countries in the triumvirate will be invited to participate and feature part of their own cultures at Ningbo’s city-level cultural events, such as Ningbo’s Film Week; the Ala Music Festival: China, Japan, and South Korea Singing Festival; and Ningbo’s 2016 Culture City of East Asia tour of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean painting and calligraphy.

Ningbo’s cultural events reflect the city’s strategy to develop its culture on a local and national scale, specifically in the areas of literature, music, and film. This “Three-in-One City” strategy is intended to promote Ningbo’s rich cultural history in each of the three areas. To support its long literary tradition, Ningbo is planning to develop its digital reading network, foster community groups and activities for reading, and expand its publishing industry. As for establishing Ningbo as a “city of music,” the city plans to continue its recent tradition of hosting music festivals, as well as developing other music-related activities and cultivating musical talent among its citizens. In regards to the city’s relationship with the film business, Ningbo plans to vertically integrate its film production industry, so that props, sets, facilities, costumes, and actors can all be found within the city.

Zhao also emphasized Ningbo’s strategy to simultaneously develop its culture and uphold the central government’s 13th Five-year Plan (2016-20) for economic development by offering policy support to Ningbo’s cultural industry. Zhao’s words were echoed in a press conference for the 2016 Ningbo Culture Industry Expo, where the economic side of cultural development was discussed in-depth.

The expo featured a variety of esteemed businesses displaying their most recent cultural industry programs and products. The expo also welcomed nearly 100 Taiwanese businesses, which are connected to Ningbo via the Ningbo-Taiwan Cultural and Creative Industries Joint Platform, a forum for the two localities to mutually develop their cultural industries. An area containing exhibits on integrating culture and technology was a major attraction at the expo, with Ningbo companies showcasing their latest advancements in the field.

The final measure in Ningbo’s plans to reach the pinnacle of cultural development is to protect the city’s intangible cultural heritage. A series of experts from all three 2016 Culture Cities of East Asia discussed the problems that arise in carrying out protection measures during a panel on East Asian Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection, in the hopes of learning from each other’s trials and tribulations.

The panel touched on urbanization, an issue often discussed in China. Urbanization, while necessary, appears opposed to cultural conservation, as it encourages modernization and a departure from old ways. Speaker Qiu Chunlin, the director of the Chinese National Academy of Arts’ Institute for Handicraft Research, addressed the issue of urbanization, first explaining the phenomenon and then offering solutions.

“The space for inherited handicrafts is dwindling in both the city and the countryside,” stated Qiu. “Industrialized production is replacing hand-crafted products, resulting in a dramatic decrease in the number of individuals who understand the art.”

Qiu went on to say that cities should not rely purely on a singular model of industrialized production, but rather employ a variety of production strategies that leave room for handicrafts, explaining that handicrafts could alleviate unemployment. Moreover, Qiu advised that the process of urbanization itself be carried out with respect to the history and culture of the area, citing Suzhou’s Zhenhu Town as an example.

Currently, Ningbo has adopted measures to preserve many aspects of its intangible cultural heritage, including book collecting and the playing of historical music and musical instruments. Ningbo is also restoring its Catholic Church, which was damaged in a fire in 2014; the church itself represents the intangible “port culture” of Ningbo, as it was constructed using a combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles.

Ningbo’s strategies are ambitious, to say the least. When implemented, the city will be an East Asian powerhouse of culture and history. Ningbo’s aspirations, however, extend well beyond East Asia; the city has long-term plans to become a part of the “21st Century Maritime Silk Road.”

“Following the opening ceremony, we will work to make this Culture City of East Asia the shining star on the vanguard of an improved human civilization,” said Zhao.