The third Shandong Cultural Industry Expo has been underway in Jinan, capital of the eastern province, since September 27 to promote further development of local media, animation and tourism.

A range of activities held at the event that ends on Sept 30 include creativity contests, forums, art performances and investment promotional meetings as well as premieres of original animation.

The expo has eight exhibition halls with different themes including General Hall that showcases the achievements in reform of cultural industries, as well as development plans and potential for the sector in Shandong.

Cartoon Hall shows visitors gaming software, cartoons, advertisements and animation works, as well as how they are made.

Creative Design Hall mainly displays industrial designs for ads, packages, products, household items and graphics.

Themed "friendly Shandong", Cultural Tourism Hall highlights local scenic sites, tourism products, festivals and artistic performances.

A range of State-level and provincial folk literature, traditional music, opera, folk arts, acrobatics and traditional medicine are on show in Intangible Cultural Hall.

Top folk artists in Shandong are performing their skills in shadow plays, clay sculpture, woodcarving, embroidery and paper-cuts to illustrate part of the province's rich culture.

Seven trade zones for products including books, entertainment, calligraphy, painting, folk arts and handicrafts are also part of the expo.

As well, a series of forums on creative industries, advertising and capital for cultural development are part of the fair.

More than 834 billion yuan in cultural deals are expected to be signed during the event. The projects cover a wide range from publishing, radio, television and films to other cultural entertainment. The event is sponsored by the Shandong provincial government.

(China Daily 09/29/2010 page24)