After entering the large hall of the 2007 China (Hangzhou) Creative Industry Exposition, the first thing visitors saw was a group of people stomping on the ground. There is nothing but a large screen with colorful fishes swimming here and there.

When people stomped on the fish, they swam away.

The screen is a product of visual and interactive technology, which combines multimedia, Internet and digital images to create a quasi reality.

At another booth nearby, people are wandering around the National Stadium or “Bird's nest” in virtual reality, by pressing several buttons on a keyboard. This is a 3D Internet interactive community where people can stroll, chat with others and play games in a cyber world.

There were many interesting booths like these at the expo, which is the first of this kind held in Hangzhou.

Co-organized by Hangzhou Municipal Government and China Academy of Art, this event aims to promote creative industries, such as advertising, gaming, animation, and architecture in Hangzhou. Organizers hope this three-day expo will increase the city’s cooperation with companies outside of China, and help Hangzhou become the center of creative industries in China.

A wide range of participants took part in the expo, including design studios, advertising firms, as well as design colleges and institutes, and hi-tech firms. Ten forums were held on the various creative industries as well as brainstorm more ideas for further development in these fields.

Since 2002, the creative industries in Hangzhou have developed quickly due to the number of professionals from China Academy of Art as well as the support of the government. A group of creative studios like loft49, Tangshang433, A8 community, West Lake Creative Valley have become leaders in Hangzhou, and make the city one of the few creative industries bases in the country.