The First Shenzhen International Cultural Industry Fair (ICIF) opens today at the China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Center.

With a series of exciting cultural activities, the ICIF is designed not only as a trade fair, but also a grand cultural extravaganza for local residents. Here are some of the things worth seeing.

Industrial design show

A number of well-known Chinese industrial designers, including Song Shiyi, He Shuping, and Teng Wenjin, will show their latest works at the Contemporary Chinese Industrial Design Exhibition.

Eight State-level industrial design masterpieces, worth 450 million yuan (US$54.5 million), will be displayed for the first time.

They will be auctioned, along with 137 pieces of sculpture, jewelry, pottery, carvings, painting and calligraphic works when the exhibition is over.

Cultural industry development forums

Keynote speeches will be made by high-ranking government officials, celebrities and a Nobel laureate, including Sun Jiazheng, China's minister of culture, Long Yongtu, secretary-general of the Bo'ao Forum for Asia, Robert A. Mundell, Nobel Prize winner in economics in 1999, and Don Robinson, former vice president of Walt Disney World Operations and executive vice president of Hong Kong Disneyland.

TV and movie script auction

Organizers have collected more than 400 scripts from a large number of renowned Chinese writers such as Mo Yan, Liang Xiaosheng, Jiang Yi and Bai Tiejun, of which the best 30 scripts will be selected for auction. The Shenzhen Radio, TV and Film Group is expected to bid for five works at the auction.

Art auction

There will be a series of art auctions at the ICIF this year.

At the Chinese Painting and Calligraphic Works Auction in the International Conference Hall of the Shenzhen Economic Daily on Saturday, collectors will bid for masterpieces by late Chinese master painters such as Zhang Daqian, Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong.

At the Selected Art Works Auction in Dafen Painting Village on Sunday, oil paintings by more than 30 artists in the painting village will be put up for auction for the first time.

Printing equipment show

The International Printing Equipment Exhibition at the ICIF has attracted a large number of prize-winning printing giants such as MAN Roland, Gauss, Heidelberg Printing Co., and Mitsubishi.

Book and magazine show

Every year the Book Art Foundation of Germany holds a competition to find the best produced books in Germany and across the world. The emphasis is on publications with illustrations.

The ICIF's International Book and Magazine Exhibition will display prize-winning books, including The Most Beautiful German Books of 2002 and 2003.

Animation and cartoon show

The International Animation and Cartoon Exhibition has pooled more than 60 animation enterprises from home and abroad to show their latest works and other related products.

Painting performance

Known as an oil painting center, Dafen Painting Village is one of the important venues of the ICIF.

More than 1,000 painters and apprentices painted pictures in the Oil Painting Plaza in the village Wednesday.

Children's cultural festival

The First Shenzhen International Children's Art and Culture Festival will see more than 100 children from about 20 countries and regions staging a series of painting exhibitions in the communities in the Overseas Chinese Town and Shekou in Nanshan District.

World ambassador of peace contest

The final contest for the 17th World College Student Ambassador of Peace will be held in Splendid China in the Overseas Chinese Town on Friday. A total of 46 contestants from 42 countries and regions will take part.

Editor: Catherine