Lujiazui Culture Forum for 2015 at the Shanghai International Convention Center in Lujiazui, Pudong New District, on Dec 21. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The city of Shanghai's International Convention Center in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong New District played host to the 2015 Lujiazui Culture Forum, on Dec 21, with some prominent experts, artists and institution representatives taking part to do some brainstorming on ways to turn this financial hub into a more cultured place.

Sponsors of the forum were Pudong's publicity department and culture administration, and the Lujiazui administration whose aim was to explore ways to create a better cultural environment. When they first began doing this, they started a "Cultural Lujiazui" program back in September 2014, which, by now, has put on nearly 600 activities reaching around 500,000 people.

After a year of development, the program is now on a sound footing and has more art troupes from the Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai Jingju Theatre, the Shanghai Light Music Orchestra taking part, with more buildings joining in the fun, including the Shanghai World Finance Center and Jinmao Tower, along with more renowned artists performing, and more white-collar workers taking part.

In commenting on these developments, the deputy director of Lujiazui administration, Xue Yingping, says that culture is a symbol of an area's competitiveness and economy, so the authorities expect more cultural institutions and art troupes to work with them to make the area become a cultural landmark. Xue went on to say that they will do more to expand cultural activities for workers and improve cultural facilities.