2005, is a year when Shenzhen's cultural industry progresses in all aspects. It is a year worth commemorating. Shenzhen has spotlighted the development of cultural industry and the local cultural industry is full of highlights and is expanding at an amazing speed.

1. public cultural services system further improved

Highlights: The institutions for publicizing culture have garnered 524 provincial-level prizes, 100 of which have reached international level in 2005. The city had organized four big events including Reading Month, Shenzhen Gold Autumn Community Cultural Festival, 2005 Performance Season, and Youth Immigrants Festival 2005.

A greater variety of activities had been designed for the public and construction of cultural infrascture has taken a giant step forward. The Shenzhen Central Library was almost completed and renovating of the Grand Theater has been pushed forward.

2. Setup for prompting cultural industry completed

Highlights: The city made careful preparation for the second ICIF. The Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair Co., Ltd was established to run the fair in a market-oriented and professional way. At the same time, the municipal cultural bureau had unfolded promotion activities in Germany, England and Singapore.

The municipal cultural bureau made Shenzhen Cultural Industry Development 11 Five-year Plan, held a city cultural industry convention and set up a Shenzhen Municipal cultural industry development office.

The city supported audio&video chain stores to enlarge scales and started up experimental programme of changing the city's TV broadcasting to digital.

3. Unique cultural brands being fostered

Highlights: Shenzhen is stepping up to build a city of piano, libraries and design as well as an animation base.

Shenzhen Art School has further enhanced its brand for piano education. Chen Sa has won the Crystal Award at the Twelfth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

District libraries were elevated to State-level by the Ministry of Culture while one record/one card policy was implemented in seven libraries.

To build a city of design, Shenzhen has established a graphic design association and held a series of activities in "the Creative December" including City Architecture Biannual of Shenzhen exhibition, 2005 China (Shenzhen) graphic design competition.

Shenzhen Animation Center was approved to be a State-level animation base.

4. Foreign culture exchanges expanded

Highlights: Implementing culture week strategy to promote the interaction between culture and trade.

In Oct.2005, Shenzhen Culture Week was staged in Houston as part of a Sino-U.S. cultural exchange festival.

Shenzhen organized trade and culture group to participate Royal Queensland show and staged fabulous shows to Brisbane audience.

At the same time, Shenzhen had achieved a great deal in importing culture. The staging of French Vienne culture week marked its strategy of interaction through culture week obtained substantial results.

Corporations with Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan were reinforced. Shenzhen and Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao SAR Government co-sponsored Conceptual Art-Contemporary Paintings from China.