Wang Yuanyuan

    SHENZHEN must develop its culture before it can develop cultural industries, not the other way around, a leading local scholar said over the weekend.

    Fu Shusheng, director of the cultural industry development research office of Wuhan University Shenzhen Postgraduate School, stressed Saturday that “culture” is the key component of “culture industry,” and only industries firmly rooted in the values and traditions of their community can have long and productive developments.

    Shenzhen has some work to do in fostering those roots, according to Fu.

    “Culture should come before industry. Shenzhen’s cultural companies should first explore the true culture in the city and China, and then make them into an industry. An industry without true culture will create another processing or manufacturing industry, with low added value and reputation,” Fu said.

    Compared with famous cultural cities such as New York, London and Paris, Shenzhen is just beginning to develop.

    “In those leading cities, cultural innovation and creativity can be seen on every corner of the street. It becomes a way of life, but in Shenzhen, it is not something that is in the mind of ordinary residents,” Fu said. “The cultural industry in Shenzhen has grown quickly over the past 10 years, but more efforts should be made to make the city an international leader.”

    Meanwhile, Shenzhen also needs some leading cultural brands.

    “Among the world’s 100 most valuable cultural brands, there are 68 American brands, 25 European brands and six Japanese brands, but there are none in China,” Fu said. “The current leading cultural companies in Shenzhen, such as Huaqiang Animation and Artron, now focus more on technological levels. This is very important for the companies’ development, but if a company of that kind wants to become one of the world’s leaders, it also has to work hard on content. Disney is not famous for its technology or the production quality of cartoons and movies. It is Mickey Mouse and various characters that make it a widely known brand.”

    The number of high-end professionals in Shenzhen’s cultural industry is far less than in the world’s leading cultural cities, he added.

    “Designers, creators and artists are not enough. Shenzhen should attract more versatile professionals in cultural innovation, operation management, technology development and marketing for the industry,” Fu said.

    As a city of migrants, Shenzhen has a natural advantage in efforts to become an internationally cultural city — but so far, Fu said, the city’s diverse demographics have not been adequately used to develop the city’s culture.