BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- A science fiction storm is currently sweeping the western Chinese city of Chengdu, where China's first International Science Fiction Film Week is held from August 6 to August 20.
This “Chengdu International Science Fiction Film Week” invited science fiction fans from around the world to come to Chengdu to join the 24 hours viewing of Star Trek and the 6-day Star Wars challenge; to discuss about the future with Wang Jinkang, He Xi and other Chinese top science fiction writers; and to spark up conversations with Lu Chuan, XieFei, and other talents from the sci-fi movie and publishing world; and with main investors such as IDG Capital Partners.
“All of the movie screens in Chengdu, have became the time machine.” During the Film Week, eleven international science fiction activities integrate culture and industry, advance the international exchange and cross-border cooperation regarding science fiction movies, and combine forces to create an industry platform known as “the world’s capital of science fiction; the city of movies about the future.”
“The capital of science fiction, the future starts here” is yet another name card for Chengdu. With the support of mass entrepreneurship and innovation policies, a number of imaginative ideas have been realized in Chengdu.
China’s first science fiction roadshow attracts international investors
Eight top science fiction writers used their own works to conduct a promotional tour with special performances, and thirteen heavyweight directors and science fiction experts communicated interactively with attendances. Through this roadshow, science fiction writers, investors, and film makers directly communicated, which was unprecedented in China’s science fiction circle. This all took place during the science fiction themed innovative special roadshow project, called “Jingrong Financing Forum in Chengdu”. This science fiction Intellectual Property special roadshow is jointly organized by the science fiction industry integration operator "Science Fiction Postman" and IDG Capital Partners.
During the Film Week, eleven science fiction activities will successively unfold, such like "Science Fiction Postman" IP Venture Capital Forum, a sub forum of Jingrong Financing Forum, and the award ceremony of the “Chinese Nebula Awards” for Chinese Language Science Fiction Movies called “Crowning Imagination”, a forum called “The First Year and Light-year of Chinese Science Fiction Movies", and a public course on popular science and science fiction called “Looking for the Specter of the Universe”. And among all these activities, the "Science Fiction Postman" IP Venture Capital Forum is without a doubt seen as a highlight, and has attracted the attention of numerous international investors.
During the IP Venture Capital Forum, the fifteen- times“Milky Way China Science Fiction Award” winner He Xi analyzed his own literary science fiction work, while 77 years old science fiction writer Wang Xiaoda also successively performed during the roadshow.
Xiaoge Xiong, the executive Vice President of the Global Department of the US International Data Group (IDG) and IDG Capital’s founding partner, deciphered the future trends in the science fiction industry from an investment point of view, and shared his longtime investment experiences.
After the roadshow, a series of cooperation agreements were signed, such as a cultural industry fund, a special cooperation for the Venture Capital Meeting, and the development of copyright for sci-fi works. This will also fully promote the rapid development of cultural industries, with sci-fi movies as its core business.
According to organizer of this event, the importance of holding the Science Fiction Postman IP Venture Capital Forum is that it provides a platform where science fiction IP and capital can join forces to promote business development and transformation of sci-fi works. At the same time, fostering of this emerging industry will promote the development of convergence of cultural creative industry.
Mass entrepreneurship and innovation policies make room for imagination
Innovation and entrepreneurship revitalize Chengdu. By adopting mass entrepreneurship and innovation policies, Chengdu strives to make room for imagination of entrepreneurs and remove their difficulties.
In recent years, a string of reform measures regarding commercial affairs, endorsements, government affairs’ services, society, and the taxation system have been successively launched in Chengdu. “In the past, all industry and commerce registration affairs regarding our company were handled by high level office, but by now we can arrange this at the local office. This is much more convenient, and saves us a lot of time,” said Huang Tingjie, an entrepreneur from Chengdu, who got himself a new business license within two and a half hours recently.
Chengdu has successively launched a series of commercial system reforms, to let innovative startups more easily set up a business. An “Internet + Incubator” innovative and entrepreneurial service cloud platform called the “Creative Department” offers specialization services to startups. In order to attract more domestic and overseas talents to settle here, Chengdu also implemented the “Chengdu Talent Program”, not just offering financial assistance to entrepreneurs but also facilitating their children’s access to school.
To tap entrepreneurs’ imagination, Chengdu formulated a micro-credit policy to support start-ups. In addition, an “Angel Capital Fund for Science and Technology Entrepreneurship”, an “Internet Youth Fund” and so on were set up.
Chengdu organized more than one hundred activities in the “Jingrong” series meetings. A total of more than 300 venture capital institutions, over 6,000 companies and groups, and more than 300 thousand people participated, reaching potential deals worth over 1,51 billion US dollars.
Encouraged by a series of favorable policies and effective actions, the innovative and entrepreneurial industry of Chengdu has become increasingly active.
Imagination becomes reality
Valuable imagination should be bold, but also down to earth.Chengdu does not only allow imagination to exist, it also leaves room for imagination to turn into reality.
For the past few years, Chengdu’s rail transportation industry research has been published, marking an initial success for the reputation of ‘Made in Chengdu’. In May 2016, in the Southwest Jiaotong University State Key Laboratories for traction power, China’s first “manned high temperature superconductor ring-shaped maglev experiment line” was basically completed. The experiment line simulated a high-speed rail line running in a vacuum state, and with a test speed of up to 600 kilometers per hour. Southwest Jiaotong University’ newly built joint-stock company successfully developed a new track system that has completely independent intellectual property rights, to fill a gap in the country.
In Chengdu, imagination helps promote urban economic development. Camera software “Camera360” with global user numbers exceeding 250 million was created in Chengdu; China’s largest sports APP “Codoon Sport” , Leading mobile applications such as “Truck Help”, “Medical Alliance”, “Wheat College” and so on were nurtured here; Those mobile games , like “Galactic Empire”, “Sparta War”, “Doudou” and so on, were also incubated here.
During the “China Chengdu Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship Trade Fair” in 2016, outstanding enterprises from Chengdu have showed their abilities on the same stage with Google, General Electric, Tesla and other well-known international companies. Sichuan Wisesoft, once a winner of the National Science and Technology Progress Award, exhibited a civil aviation aircraft experience module, allowing visitors to enjoy a flight simulation. The other company CCSW’ s VR glasses allow the human body to experience the whole production process of the workshop.
Amongst the two first prizes awarded during the first “Chinese-South Korean Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition”, the prize winner on the Chinese side was the cloud testing platform for mobile games called “Testbird”, developed by Chengdu CoudWorld Technology Co., Ltd., which by now has a market share of over 70 percent in the mobile game testing market.
As of March 31, 2016, the number of registered market players in Chengdu totaled 1,311,244, with a total registered capital of 3269.56 billion yuan. Among the total, 61,426 market players registered in the first quarter of 2016. In other words: on every working day in the first quarter of 2016, the number of newly registered market players amounted to 1,024. “This is the first time the daily registration number has surpassed one thousand”, said Huang Weixin, Branch director of theRegistration Division of the Chengdu Industry and Commerce Bureau.
In Chengdu, outside talents can have their imagination into full play, making their imaginations become reality. Chengdu is currently striving with great perseverance to become an innovation-oriented city and a regional innovative and entrepreneurial center with international influence.
