A total of 30 countries and regions will set up booths to showcase their cultural products in a virtual exhibition of the 17th China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF), which kicks off today.

The virtual Belt & Road International Hall aims to strengthen ICIF’s internationalization and cultural communication capacity, improve its international image, and enhance its international influence, according to its organizer, Shenzhen ICIF Co. Ltd., yesterday.

The hall will set up a VR display room that covers a 1,200-square-meter area, showcasing products and services in cultural tourism, education, arts and creativity from 30 countries and regions, as the pandemic has prevented overseas exhibitors from joining the on-site fair.

Foreign delegations organized by the Embassy of Jamaica, La Rioja Province of Argentina, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, France-Shenzhen Investment Promotion Association and Bulgarian-Chinese Business Development Association will bring their tourism projects and products to the online fair.

Romania’s Transylvania University of Brasov, the Cuban National Library, and educational institutes from Greece and Austria will exhibit their advanced educational ideas and resources.

High-end overseas art institutions and organizations, including Germany’s Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig, Russian Czar Holiday Art Gallery and Sino-Canadian Arts Science and Technology League, will stage virtual exhibitions on engraved paintings, sculptures, oil paintings, film and TV works.

Cultural and creative agencies from South Korea and Japan will display their latest works and creations.

More than 200 representatives from foreign consulates, foreign businesses and international organizations will be also invited to attend the fair online.

The annual fair began to set up the Belt & Road International Hall in 2015, with the number of participants from the Belt and Road countries rising from 14 in 2015 to 50 in 2019.

Meanwhile, 62 internet firms will be present at the virtual Internet Hall, which will feature cutting-edge technologies and latest products in internet culture, technology, media, digital creativity and e-business sectors. The virtual exhibitions will run round the clock during the five-day fair, which will end Monday. Access to the virtual halls can be done via the official website www.cnicif.com or the WeChat miniprogram “文博会+”.