Published by ChinaMNC · Shancheng

What a Henan Cultural Trade Fair Signals for Foreign Founders in China’s Cultural and Creative Sectors

A practical look at the 13th Central Plains Cultural Industry Expo and Trade Fair in Hebi, Henan, and what its exhibition, digital and investment-connection activities suggest for foreign founders building cultural, tourism or creative businesses in China.

A Regional Cultural Trade Fair with Practical Relevance for Founders

Foreign founders often ask where cultural, tourism and creative businesses fit into China’s local investment landscape. A recent event in Henan offers a useful case study. The 13th Central Plains Cultural Industry Expo and Trade Fair (referred to here as the Zhongyuan Cultural Expo) opened on 10 September in Hebi, Henan, under the theme “Ancient Charm Reborn: Creative Central Plains.” The fair ran from 10 to 13 September.

For founders, the value lies less in the opening ceremony than in how the event was structured: exhibition zones, digital platforms, tourism routes, sports experiences, commercial consumption and investment matchmaking were presented together. That combination reflects how local governments in China often package cultural industries with tourism and technology to attract participation and project cooperation.

How the Fair Was Organised

Physical and Online Formats

The event adopted a “primarily offline, synchronised online” model and attracted more than 1,000 participating enterprises, according to the source. The main offline venue was located at the Zhaoge Cultural Park and Zhaoge Li Humanities Town in Hebi. It was divided into three major zones: a comprehensive cultural industry exhibition area, a culture-sports-tourism-commerce integration area, and a cultural creative leisure experience area.

Six sub-venues were also set up, including Xunxian Ancient City, Zhaoge Old Street and Hebi Book City. The source describes this as a “one main venue, multiple supporting venues, region-wide linkage” format. Online, a digital exhibition and trading platform was built to link online and offline resources and to create what the organisers called a cultural event that “never closes.”

For a foreign founder evaluating a local pilot or exhibition presence, the lesson is to check whether an event offers both physical and digital channels. A digital platform can extend visibility beyond the days of a fair, but founders should verify independently how the platform operates and what participation requires.

Culture, Sports, Tourism and Commerce Combined

The fair used a four-in-one model: cultural display, sports experience, tourism routes and commercial consumption. It launched a “Visit the Expo, Tour Hebi” tourism route and a “one ticket for the whole city, ticket stubs bring benefits” measure, linking exhibition visits, travel and spending.

The event also included a pickleball cultural creative theme pavilion, a sports experience area and an equipment display area. Visitors could buy sports equipment and cultural creative products, try pickleball and watch exhibition matches. The source frames this as showing the energy of “sports plus cultural creativity.”

Founders in consumer products, sports gear, event services or tourism should note that local cultural fairs increasingly mix sectors. If your product can be experienced rather than only displayed, that may align with how these events are designed. However, participation terms, fees and eligibility should be checked directly with the organisers.

Technology and Cultural Products

Digital Exhibition and Interactive Zones

A digital exhibition and sales experience area used technologies such as glasses-free 3D and motion-sensing interaction to present traditional culture in more accessible forms. A “Book of Songs” trend interaction area relied on a local original IP called “Follow Gulu to Collect Poems,” using youthful, trend-oriented expression to reinterpret the classic text.

A digital and intelligent cultural creative sales area displayed AI cultural creative products, described as offering a futuristic and technology-oriented creative experience. The source presents these as examples of technology empowering culture.

For foreign founders, this points to opportunities at the intersection of content, design and technology. But it also signals that local platforms may favour projects that can demonstrate a clear cultural theme plus a visible technology or interactive element. Founders should be prepared to explain how their product fits a local cultural narrative, not only how it performs commercially.

Investment and Industry Activities

Matchmaking Alongside the Fair

During the event, Hebi also planned a provincial cultural-technology integration and cultural-tourism industry high-quality investment and financing roadshow and matchmaking activity, along with new product launches and cultural creative manager exchanges. The stated aim was to gather cultural resources, link industry elements and land project cooperation.

This is relevant to founders seeking local partners, distributors or investors. Such side events are often where local government departments, state-owned platforms and private companies meet. But the source does not specify eligibility, application procedures or outcomes, so foreign founders should treat these as networking and information channels rather than guaranteed funding routes.

What the Fair’s History Suggests

The Zhongyuan Cultural Expo is described as an important vehicle for Henan to deepen cultural-tourism integration and build a strong cultural-tourism province, and as a core platform for carrying forward Central Plains traditional culture. Since it was founded in 2014, it has cumulatively attracted 15,000 exhibitors and 7.8 million visitors, with transaction volumes continuing to rise, according to the source. It has gradually formed a professional exhibition model with Central Plains characteristics.

For foreign founders, these figures indicate scale and continuity, but they are organisers’ cumulative figures. They should be used for context, not as a forecast of business results.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

• Check the format: Events may combine physical venues, sub-venues and digital platforms. Confirm which channel suits your product and what participation involves.
• Map the sectors: Cultural fairs increasingly link culture with sports, tourism and commerce. Consider whether your product can be experienced, not just exhibited.
• Prepare a local narrative: Technology-enabled cultural products were highlighted. Be ready to explain your cultural fit alongside your commercial model.
• Use side events for learning: Investment roadshows and matchmaking sessions can provide market intelligence and contacts, but eligibility and outcomes are not guaranteed.
• Verify independently: Exhibition terms, investment conditions and registration requirements should be confirmed with organisers and professional advisers.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.