The exhibition booth for Zhejiang province at the 3rd iCiE [Photo/IC]

The third Yangtze River Delta International Cultural Industries Expo (iCiE) concluded at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) on Nov 22.

The four-day expo, held in Shanghai every year, was initiated in 2018 by the culture authorities of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces and Shanghai municipality, which make up the Yangtze River Delta. It is a major platform for IP trading, merchandise development and cultural branding promotion in the YRD region and beyond.

More than 1,000 museums, institutions and corporations participated in the 54,000-square-meter exhibition, showcasing a diverse array of products ranging from interactive gaming and virtual reality to intangible cultural heritages in the form of traditional handicrafts.

Among the iCiE exhibitors were more than 160 Zhejiang-based culture enterprises, including industry leaders such as Zhejiang Radio and Television Group, Zhejiang Publishing United Group, Zhejiang Cultural Industry Investment Group, Zhejiang Provincial Museum, and Hengdian Group.

Zhejiang came in second in a 2019 ranking of Chinese provinces and municipalities in terms of the comprehensive development of its culture industry, just behind Beijing. According to statistics, Zhejiang's culture-related firms above the designated size, of which there are 6,030 in total, raked in 890.1 billion yuan ($135.2 billion) in operating revenue over the first three quarters of this year, up 8.5 percent year-on-year.

The book booth of Zhejiang Publishing United Group at the 3rd iCiE [Photo/IC]