As the summer heats up, the two-dimensional atmosphere in the "Magic City" Shanghai is also heating up.
On July 4, the Shanghai International Procurement Exhibition Center welcomed a large number of young tourists. Some of them wore colorful cosplay costumes and took photos non-stop, some enthusiastically shopped in front of the dazzling array of "millet" stalls, and some cheered loudly in the stage performance area... The air was full of happiness.
"Shanghai Summer International Animation Month" poster
The long-established exhibition CCG EXPO celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. For the first time, the main venue of the event was moved here, thus igniting the carnival of the first "Shanghai Summer International Animation Month".
Next, the three popular exhibitions, China International Cartoon and Game Expo (CCG EXPO), Bilibili offline carnival (Bilibili World) and China International Digital Interactive Entertainment Expo (ChinaJoy), will cross boundaries and lead two-dimensional fans to "Comic City, Have Fun All Summer Long".
Popular IP works gather together, and intangible cultural heritage hand-made works also want to break the circle
As one of the core parts of the "Shanghai Summer International Animation Month", from July 4th to 6th, CCG EXPO was transformed into a "star factory" for the original power of animation and games.
According to reports, this year's CCG EXPO attracted 480 exhibitors from Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, Nepal, Singapore, France, Russia and other places around the world. In the popular IP exhibition area, the reporter of The Paper saw that Tencent Video brought the fantasy animation "Lord of Mysteries" which just started last Saturday, Kuro Games brought the apocalyptic sci-fi 3D mobile game "Honkai Impact 3rd", and Manga Upward brought "The Genie" and many other exquisite publications. Among them, a thick three-volume, more than 600-page "Past, Future, Link: Original Short Black and White Comics Collection" condensed the wonderful creations of 15 young cartoonists, which were either interesting, touching, or thought-provoking, making readers unable to stop reading once they opened it.
Lord of Mysteries cosplayer
This year, CCG EXPO launched the Shanghai International Tabletop Game Elite Tournament for the first time. There are independent game areas and tabletop game areas on site, which bring together more than 100 global tabletop game designers and nearly 300 creative studios, focusing on presenting the vitality and charm of tabletop games and derivative creative fields. After being tired of visiting the exhibition, tourists strolled to the tabletop game area, and made appointments in groups of three or five to play a game for two hours. If they were hungry, they could buy McDonald's on site.
Board game designers interact with fans
Handmade creator Michelle brought a lot of carefully crafted intangible cultural heritage velvet flowers and Song brocade accessories. "I didn't expect the visitors to be so enthusiastic. Before I even finished setting up the stall, some children said they liked it very much and bought it." Michelle told reporters that she had previously brought her works to exhibitions such as Shanghai Fashion Week. This was her first time to set up a stall at the comic exhibition. She hoped to reach a wider audience: "Our intangible cultural heritage products are not only suitable for ancient and new Chinese styles, but can also be integrated into the second dimension, and become an embellishment for everyone's daily life and decoration for cosplay."
Intangible cultural heritage handicrafts come from fashion week to comic exhibition
At the exhibition, a young mother and daughter attracted the attention of reporters. They showed reporters a lot of cartoon peripherals they bought on the spot and said that they came to Shanghai from Jiaxing specifically to visit the exhibition.
Ms. Sheng told The Paper that her 12-year-old daughter has been fond of the ACG world for a while and has proposed to cosplay as her favorite cartoon character. "I couldn't accept it at first and thought it was a very different behavior." But she tried to get closer to the ACG world and understand her daughter's hobbies. "As an adult, I don't quite understand it and I really want to keep up with the young people." So this time, after her daughter checked the guide online and expressed her strong desire to come to CCG, Ms. Sheng decided to accompany her. "The young people I saw today are very youthful and energetic, and they are brave enough to show themselves." She said with a smile that she wanted to learn from the parents of "Nezha" director Jiaozi, "Each generation has its own perspective on the world. As a parent, I shouldn't block too much. I will support my child's hobbies as much as possible and let her explore the future world."
Take the "pain boat" with "Qiao Qing", and there are 18 business districts to connect
From its birthplace, the Shanghai Exhibition Center, to the World Expo Exhibition Hall for many consecutive years, CCG EXPO has been held for 20 years, and The Paper reporters have come to participate in the coverage many times. This time CCG EXPO moved to a new stage, and reporters found that there were some new designs from the exhibition hall to the surrounding areas.
Shanghai International Procurement Exhibition Center is adjacent to Banma Suhe Park, with Danba Road Wharf to the north and Changfeng Park Wharf to the south. It is an important part of the "waterfront living room" that Putuo District has been working hard to build. This CCG EXPO will expand the exhibition hall from the exhibition center to the waterfront space along Suzhou River, and launch a "dimension" corridor along Suzhou River.
Two "pain ships" themed on the domestic game "Arknights" and the official CCG EXPO image, Zi Ling IP, sailed from Changfeng Park Wharf to the Bund Source Wharf, passing through Mengqing Garden (environmental theme park) and the waterfront section of East China University of Political Science and Law (historical style area). During the exhibition period, it is planned to send 4 ships every day to lead tourists to start an immersive voyage. (A little science: "Pain culture" originated from the Japanese comic circle, which means "covering something with favorite anime characters". Because it is very exaggerated, it gives people a strong visual impact and a feeling of eye pain, and gradually formed this concept.)
Theme of "Arknights" "Pain Ship"
In addition to the "pain ship", there is also the "Qingqiao". According to the CCG EXPO organizing committee, the "Qingqiao" is the personification of the historical bridges on the Suzhou River. The first to appear is the "Qingqiao" of Jiangning Road Bridge. In the future, the entire series of images will be designed and developed around the 48 bridges on the Suzhou River to form the "Qingqiao IP Universe". Also being developed simultaneously is the "Qingqiao" equipped with AR technology. In the future, the "Qingqiao" will be on the Suzhou River tourist line, providing citizens and tourists with a new immersive waterfront experience that integrates the virtual and the real.
This summer, Banma Suhe Park will become an "art energy station" for citizens' lives, with a special exhibition of "Water Margin Heroes" by Chinese painting master Dai Dunbang, "Goddess of Victory" and "Zone Zero" IP transportation cards, and popular IPs such as "Under One Person" and "Fox Spirit Matchmaker" by China Literature Group and the newly launched animation "Lord of Mysteries" will be unveiled one after another. In addition, activities such as the "Suhe Lantern Festival" and summer concerts will bring artistic energy to citizens who are strolling in the cool air.
Industry insiders believe that integrating popular anime IPs into the city’s public waterfront spaces, creating a mobile cultural landscape, and attracting young groups to check in and interact with citizens and tourists will not only brighten the vitality of the Suzhou River shoreline and enrich the waterfront experience, but will also directly serve Shanghai’s development of the waterfront economy and stimulate new momentum for cultural and tourism consumption.
During the Shanghai Summer International Animation Month, the online platform "Kandongfang" App will launch an exclusive dimensional map for the animation month, marking 81 dimensional landmarks throughout the city, covering business districts, animation theme restaurants, dimensional hotels, exhibitions, pop-up stores, performances and other diverse consumption scenarios, and providing practical route information such as dimensional theme subway stations and bus stops, helping fans to easily plan travel routes and enjoy the dimensional journey.
The event also links up 18 core business districts and theme hotels in Shanghai, including Bailian ZX Creative Center, Jing'an Joy City, Metro City, Global Harbor, and Wujiaochang, and launches special projects such as "pain" cars, "pain" boats, "pain" planes, "pain" islands, "pain" hotels, and "pain" subways to create the CityWalk immersive animation block.
Shanghai Summer International Animation Month connects multiple core business districts
From July 18 to August 17, the Metaverse Block in Caohejing, Xuhui District will hold the Metaverse Summer Carnival. Jing'an District will also host the 2025 Global Esports Conference in August to promote global esports from "industry collaboration" to "ecological co-construction."
