On December 2, the grand opening of the 2023 Foshan Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City China-Europe Culture Week, hosted by the Foshan Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City Management Committee, took place in Foshan. Throughout the cultural event, a series of activities will be organized, including the China-Europe Market, Music Concert, Talent Cycling, and a Football Invitational Tournament.

Since its inaugural event in 2020, the China-Europe Culture Week has become a comprehensive showcase and exchange activity of European culture and business brands in Foshan and even South China. This year's splendid eight-day event promises to bring a cultural and artistic feast to citizens.

Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City, established by the Foshan Municipal Party Committee and Government as a major strategic platform, plays a vital role as Foshan's gateway to collaboration with Germany and Europe. With a focus on enhancing innovation capabilities and expediting infrastructure development, the city attracts high-end talents, technologies, and projects to create a resource-rich environment and establish a first-rate business environment. The ultimate goal is to position Sanlongwan as the "City of Research and Development", the "City of Industry", a "City Friendly to Talent", and an "International City".

Six main events to provide a China-Europe cultural feast

The opening ceremony of the China-Europe Culture Week took place in Songyuan. The brilliant stage lighting, distinctive China-Europe market, and melodious Western string music allowed both domestic and international guests to deeply experience the wonderful intersection of Chinese and Western culture.

Commented by Mai Jiehua, vice chairman of Foshan Political Consultative Conference, Foshan has established tighten communication with European in regards of culture and economic exchange. China-Europe Culture Week would be an important event for Sino-Europe collaboration, even Sino-German collaboration at the city level. As a pivotal cultural event for the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City, the series of activities during the China-Europe Culture Week will significantly contribute to the development of Sanlongwan as a high-end international art community. This initiative plays a crucial role in fostering a city that embraces talent and encourages international collaboration. Simultaneously, it serves as a platform facilitating closer communication between Foshan and Europe, offering crucial cultural support, and strengthening the bridge of friendship.

The splendid and diverse programs blended traditional Lingnan culture with classic European art, presenting a unique Sino-European cultural feast for both Chinese and foreign guests in attendance.

And this is just the beginning of the event. This-year China-Europe Culture Week is divided into three main chapters: "Exploring the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City," "Encountering the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City," and "Appreciating the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City." It includes six major events: the China-European market, Music Concert, Sanlongwan Cruise Ball, Singing Contest, Talent Cycling Event, and Football Invitational Tournament. This year culture week has upgraded to higher level with respect to the scale, forms, performance, interactivity, and participant engagement.

It is worth noting that on December 2 and 3, the Sanlongwan China-Europe Market kicked off at Foshan Park. The market brought together 20 well-known European brands from Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, and other countries, along with 20 local businesses in Foshan offering on-site discounts. The market covered a wide range of categories, including German beer, daily necessities, food, musical instruments, and cultural and creative products. Moreover, it meticulously curated a European-style retro carnival with the theme of "European Art + Retro Culture." This event ingeniously blended European leisure lifestyles with local Foshan culture, creating a distinctive camp life scene with Sino-European characteristics. It fostered a vibrant festive atmosphere for the warm winter market, allowing citizens to enjoy an immersive "cross-border shopping" experience right at their doorstep and capturing the essence of European culture.

"Hope everyone has a great time at the China-Europe Market and fully enjoys the amazing activities," said Martin Klose, Executive Director for South China and Southwest China at the China-Germany Chamber of Commerce. As an important supporting event of this year China-Europe Culture Week, the China-Europe Market offers participants a rich variety of activities. It brings an immersive cultural exchange experience and provides an excellent opportunity to enhance Sino-German cultural exchange and strengthen ties between Chinese and German cities.

The excitement doesn't stop there. At the Sanlongwan Cruise Ball, citizens can enjoy the scenic views of Dongping River while experiencing the relaxing atmosphere of swing dancing. During the Sanlongwan Talent Cycling Event, participants can follow a 24-kilometer cycling route in Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City, appreciate the achievements of Foshan's urban ecological landscaping. In Songyuan, citizens can witness the crowning of the champion in the National Singing Contest Finals, experiencing the enchantment of a nationwide musical feast. On the lush green fields, visitors would be amazed by football skills and passion of talents from Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City.

Three major zones to boost cluster development

In recent years, aiming at the city committee's "515" high-quality development goals, Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City has shown unstoppable momentum in spurring economic growth and seeking development.

As a crucial part of Foshan's high-standard construction of the "One District, One Park, One City" initiative and a significant platform leading Foshan's innovative development, Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City is actively advancing the construction of the "Double Ten" industrial park, promoting the development of strategic industry clusters. Currently, the three major zones have formed distinctive development clusters.

Sanlongwan (Chancheng Area) focuses on platform construction, highlighting new advantages in developing the headquarters economy, with high-standard planning and a high starting point to create the Sanlongwan headquarters aggregation area.

Sanlongwan (Nanhai Area) focuses on the development of information technology, headquarters economy, scientific research services, and other industries. Centered around the Jihua Laboratory, it prioritizes the development of three major thematic parks: the Foshan Information Equipment Manufacturing Industry Park, the Nanhai Integrated Circuit Design Park, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area E-sports and Cultural Industry Center.

In Sanlongwan (Shunde Area), industry clusters have already formed in robotics, smart home appliances, mechanical equipment manufacturing, biopharmaceuticals, and more, presenting a trend of high-quality development in advanced manufacturing. Especially this year, with the opening of the Sanlongwan Sino-German Industrial Park Innovation Incubation Base and the Sanlongwan Sino-German Biopharmaceutical Industrial Park, reliable platforms have been provided for the settlement of more high-quality enterprises.

Currently, the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City has gathered two Fortune Global 500 companies, one provincial laboratory (Jihua Laboratory), 23 listed companies, 84 provincial engineering and technology research centers, and over 400 high-tech enterprises.

Among them, as one of the first four provincial laboratories in Guangdong Province, Jihua Laboratory delves deep into the field of advanced manufacturing science and technology. It is committed to building a research team rooted in Foshan, establishing an internationally advanced research platform, cultivating a batch of independently controllable core technologies, and driving the development of emerging industries with innovation as a focus.

Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City will provide the best services and create the most beautiful environment for investment enterprises and talents. On one hand, the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City will increase policy support, offering relevant assistance in areas such as corporate settlement, business development, technological innovation, quality improvement, and talent attraction, with reward standards surpassing those of surrounding cities. On the other hand, efforts will be made to excel in talent services, striving to create a first-class international business environment.

During the opening ceremony, the appointment ceremony for the talent ambassadors of Foshan Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City was held. Five experts from the industrial field were appointed as talent ambassadors. They will work together with the Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City to further play a role in "building platforms, creating channels, and linking resources," attracting more outstanding talents to come here, fall in love with here, and stay here, empowering the construction of a "City Friendly to Talent."

Culture to enhance Foshan's worldwide reputation

Since the first China-Europe Culture Week held in 2020, Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City has been committed to creating a high-end platform for Foshan's international exchanges. It continuously integrates regional resources to better meet the growing demands for a better life. Meanwhile, it would use culture as a link, telling the stories of Foshan, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and China in a combined East-West form, promoting cultural integration and open cooperation between Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City and Germany, and even Europe.

"This is my first time attending in the China-Europe Culture Week, and I feel very happy. There is a great exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures here," said Amini Majid, the head of the Foshan Representative Office of Tarashepaya Limited. He expressed that Foshan has cultural features such as Cantonese opera and Kung fu. Tt is to is a meaningful way to promote and spread Foshan's culture, and enhance Foshan's cultural influence through this event. And it allows more European countries to understand Foshan's culture and see its uniqueness.

Currently, Foshan is vigorously promoting the manufacturing industry. Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City, with its excellent location and transportation conditions, is a hub for the development of advanced manufacturing, characterized by open collaboration. It possesses rich natural and cultural resources, cultivates high-end platforms like Jihua Laboratory, and attracts a concentration of high-level talents. After years of construction, its innovation capacity has made significant progress, demonstrating a favorable trend of aggregating innovative elements and integrating the development of industry and city.

The hosting of the China-Europe Culture Week is one of the crucial initiatives undertaken by Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City to strengthen internal attraction and external connections, expanding Foshan's global influence. In the future, Sanlongwan Sci-Tech City will continue to serve as a vanguard in Foshan's external openness, building a bridge for cooperation between Foshan and Germany, as well as Europe. The city will comprehensively optimize the urban environment and supporting public services, attract core enterprises, key projects, and high-end talents, and persistently create a first-class business environment, aiming to transform Sanlongwan into a thriving land for investment and business development.

Reporter | Eddie

Revisor | Lynn, Eleanor

Photo | Foshan News and Media Center