Digital Immersive Exhibition in Ningbo Highlight Cultural Creativity
Recently, the “ONE PORT Digital Immersive Exhibition” – themed “Impression of the Forbidden City” – kicked off in Ningbo Sci-Tech & Cultural Innovation Harbor, marking the first art exhibition of its kind in this city. As a famous historical and cultural city, Ningbo is making efforts to offer free cultural experiences to the citizens with its strong manufacturing strength and cutting-edge technologies.
Integrating tradition and modernity, the exhibition includes four major parts: Cultural Creation Works, IP Licensing & Co-branding, Enterprise Customization and Digital Immersive Zone. As you step into the exhibition hall, partial reproductions of the famous painting “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” is displayed on hanging curtains, creating a quaint atmosphere.
In the exhibition zones for IP Licensing & Co-branding and Enterprise Customization, a Forbidden City collaboration hoodie autographed by Li Ning gained attention from many visitors. It is a demonstration of local companies collaborating with domestic museums. Detailed examples can be seen from the women’s clothes of Peacebird & Dunhuang, electric toothbrushes of Apiyoo & The Forbidden City, and many more. Culture and business are boosting each other in Ningbo, a city well-known for its manufacturing prowess.
The Digital Immersive Exhibition Hall is a must-visit area, which combines 5G, AI, and holographic projection technologies. Many eye-catching scenes are projected onto the walls, such as from the Hall of Supreme Harmony of the Imperial Palace, the planets of the solar system, and the waves of the sea. Complete with visuals and sounds swirling around the exhibition hall, viewers may gain an immersive experience of “shuttling between light and shadow”. Bridging virtuality and reality, this form of expression is a gateway to the metaverse.
“Immersive digital art is mostly found in major museums in China, and it is in Ningbo now!” introduced He Peng, the founder of Ningbo Hena Culture Co., Ltd. (Hereinafter referred to as “Hena Culture”) and the main organizer of this event. Starting from Ningbo, they hope to promote China’s excellent traditional culture globally through inheritance and innovation.
Although Hena Culture is mostly unfamiliar to the public, their designs were highly recognized. This young company, nearly 5 years old, runs a notable functional operation called the Beijing Palace Museum Cultural Creation Design and Supply Chain Operation Center. It designs and manufactures a variety of cultural products for the Palace Museum, such as pens fashioned like a palace gate and cups with images of dragon and phoenix.
“Chinese culture can be materialized and we believe that all current products are worth being redesigned with the elements from traditional Chinese culture,” added He Peng, “We have authorized China Post and enterprises including Li Ning, Apiyoo to produce cultural products, aiming to bring more achievements for business entities. Now, increasing numbers of representative Chinese cultural symbols are recognized by young customers, as can be seen from the considerable sales growth.”
Various creations with participation from Henna Culture could be observed at the exhibition site. Specifically, umbrellas themed around a cute version of “Along the River During the Qingming Festival” for 58 City, dolls featuring “Twelve Beauties of Jinling” for a large enterprise in Jiangsu province, and a set of pictures based on “City Memory” for Ningbo... Arguably, it is an innovative attempt to recount history in a way that appeals to the youth.