After nearly 30 years of "going global" development, the footprint of Zigong lanterns has covered more than 50 countries and regions on five continents and more than 500 large and medium-sized cities in China, with a total of 400 million people watching lanterns.
From 2011 to 2017, Zigong's cultural exports totaled 84.18 million US dollars, an average annual growth of 42%, much higher than Zigong's foreign trade imports and exports by 21.6 percentage points.
In the next ten years, Zigong will hold 100 lantern exhibitions in 100 cities around the world, leading 100 enterprises to "go out" and realize 100 million US dollars in foreign cultural trade.
In June this year, in the first batch of 13 "National Cultural Export Bases" selected by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Propaganda, the Ministry of Culture and Brigade, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, Zigong ranked as the only selected base in our province.
In recent years, Zigong lantern articles have become more and more large, with this "boat of lanterns", more and more cultural products go to sea, to the world, so that Chinese culture lights up the world.
From the entrance of Chengzi-Luzhou Expressway to the city center, along the East Salt Capital Avenue, from time to time there are colorful and different shapes of colored lights dotted on both sides of the road. Walk into this city, it is to the light.
Zhongquan Town in Ziliujing District is the origin of Zigong colored lanterns. It is known as the "colored lantern town" for its historical continuity of ownership and observation of lanterns. In April of this year, nine "Tiandeng Steles" were unearthed. These steles were named "Ten Thousand Years of Tiandeng Notes in Nanhua Palace". Their inscriptions advanced the origin of Zigong Lantern Club from Tang and Song Dynasties to Han and Tang Dynasties, so as to add more historical background to Zigong Lantern. After the founding of the new China, the Lantern Festival is the result of the reform and opening up.
Zhong Quan Zhen greet the new spring in 2018
In 1987, Zigong Lantern Festival ushered in a historical turning point. The role of the festival is no longer just for the public to appreciate, but to add a commercial element. At the Lantern festival, organizers began to consciously introduce economic and trade activities into the Lantern Festival Tourism mechanism. "The lantern meeting, the economic singing play" has become an important paradigm for Zigong to promote the color lamp industry.
In the 1990s, with the rapid development of the national economy, Zigong lantern enterprises sprung up like bamboo shoots. They seized this rare historical opportunity and actively seized the beach domestic and foreign markets, becoming the new force of Zigong lantern club out of Sichuan and even out of the country.
Oversea: oversea and oversea
From the beginning of development, Zigong colored lantern industry has been aiming at the overseas market, and has taken a unique development path from outside to inside.
Less than two years after the end of the first International Dinosaur Lighting Fair, the Zigong Lighting Fair made its debut in Singapore in 1989. In 1990, on the basis of successful cooperation, the Zigong Lantern Festival was again involved in Singapore. At that time, Singapore President Golden Hui praised the Zigong lantern as "the first lamp in the world", which opened a new chapter in the development of the Zigong lantern club.
Zigong color lights are added to international elements
The Zigong Municipal Lamp Trade Commission registered the two trademarks of "Dinosaur Lighting Club" and "Zigong Lighting Club" with the State Administration of Industry and Commerce at the first time, and has done a good job in protecting the brand of Zigong colored lanterns. In 2000, the Zigong Municipal Government promulgated the "Regulations on the Management of the Colored Lamp Industry in Zigong City", opened the market for colored lamp management, and subsequently issued a series of regulations. Under the double escort of brand protection and open market, Zigong colored lamp industry ushered in the first great development era.
Under the drive of the government, the enterprise quickly follows up. The Zigong lantern enterprise has quickly made great success in the Southeast Asian market. After that, the company took Southeast Asia as the starting point, completed the European, American, Oceania, Africa and other markets in the whole region.
In 2005, the "riotous Disney night" Lantern Festival, Zigong color lights opened a cooperative journey. Up to now, 23 (secondary) enterprises and 4 projects in Zigong have been awarded the annual national key cultural export enterprises and key projects by the six ministries and commissions of the State, and they are the first batch of "national cultural industry demonstration base" and "national cultural export demonstration base" granted by the Ministry of Culture. There are 5 color light enterprises in the city, which have set up branches or offices in 10 countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
The footprints of Zigong lanterns have covered more than 50 countries and regions on five continents and more than 500 large and medium-sized cities in China.
After nearly 30 years of "going global" development, the footprint of Zigong lanterns has covered more than 50 countries and regions on five continents and more than 500 large and medium-sized cities in China, with a total of 400 million people watching lanterns. At present, 80% of the national market share and 90% of the international market share are occupied by Zigong color lights. "It is no exaggeration to say that all at home and abroad, as long as it is related to lanterns, are inseparable from Zigong people." Li Yanping, chief of the international economic and Trade Department of the Zigong Municipal Bureau of Commerce, said.
Color lamp as the medium: Construction of the pattern of big culture export
Cultural exports are the important core of Zigong's "national culture export base".
In the export of Chinese culture, Zigong lantern has made its own contribution, especially in recent years, Zigong lantern will frequently appear on the international important stage, with the lamp as the medium, let the world feel the charm of Chinese culture.
The Zigong Lantern Festival was officially upgraded to "global Lantern Festival" in 2018, and the twelve cities around the world were lit up.
At the end of 2016, Zigong Lantern Club was upgraded to a "global lantern club" cultural brand with the approval of the Ministry of Propaganda of the Central Committee, and became an important item in the national action plan of "Spring Festival Culture Going Out". In 2017, it was listed by the Ministry of Propaganda as a "perception of China" foreign cultural exchange activities, and successfully established a national color lantern cultural products export quality and safety demonstration zone. During the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017, the Zigong Municipal Government hosted a series of activities in Hamburg called "Global Lighting Fair - Hamburg Festival with Chinese Lanterns", which presented a lantern feast for the heads of state and the German audience attending the G20 Summit.
During the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017, a large number of citizens were attracted by the colored lanterns of Zigong's "Perception of China, Global Lighting Club - Chinese Colored Hamburg Tour"
At the same time, Zigong has successively promulgated a series of policies, such as "The Opinions of the People's Government of Zigong on the Implementation of Accelerating the Development of Foreign Cultural Trade", and formulated a series of activities with the theme of "Sichuan Lantern Yao Silk Road". With the help of the strategic opportunities for development of all parties, let the Zigong lantern blossom in the world, let Chinese culture shine globally.
Export volume of Zigong lantern products and services trade
In the new era, Zigong Lantern Festival has opened the "lantern Festival +" mode, allowing cultural products such as literary and artistic performances, non-heritage products, book exhibitions and film exhibitions, famous and special new products, gourmet food to "borrow the lamp to go to sea" and build a pattern of cultural exports. From 2011 to 2017, Zigong's cultural exports reached 84.18 million US dollars, an average annual growth of 42%, much higher than Zigong's foreign trade imports and exports by 21.6 percentage points.
"Alone in the overseas market, we are very weak. If we hold together, we will have great strength." Chen Gang, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Zigong Wenguang New Bureau and director of the Zigong Lamp Trade Management Committee, said.
National base: polish the golden signboard of "China lantern city"
On June 30, the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee adopted the Decision of the CPC Sichuan Provincial Committee on Promoting High-quality Development in an All-round Way, clearly pointing out that "support Zigong to build a national demonstration zone for the transformation and upgrading of old industrial cities and a national cultural export base".
If we say that in the first great development era, Zigong Lantern Association is still in a "city level" level, this election to the "National Cultural Export Base" will be promoted to the "national team" members, Zigong Lantern Association will also usher in a new golden age of high-quality development.
On August 9, the "Overseas Chinese City - Zigong International Dinosaur Lighting Festival" will be opened in full costume, which is the first festival in Sichuan Province to set up the venue of the Sichuan International Cultural Tourism Festival.
In the next decade, Zigong has set itself a goal: to hold 100 lantern exhibitions in 100 cities around the world, to lead 100 enterprises to "go out" and realize the value of foreign cultural trade of 100 million US dollars.
The "national cultural export base" is a glory and a systematic project. Under the background of the construction of the National Cultural Export Base, how to lead the export of a large number of traditional Chinese cultures, such as Zigong, Sichuan and even China, with the creative industries of colored lanterns culture, expand the connotation and extension of cultural exports, and construct the export pattern of "big culture" will become the wisdom and courage of the builders. The consideration. Only by combining foresight with innovation spirit can Zigong truly realize its original intention as a national cultural export base.
