Ningbo seeks artistic ways to promote itself

A logo design featuring the voiceprint recorded when people pronouncing "Ningbo" wins the gold prize at the "Hi Ningbo" Art and Design Competition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A roundtable event revolving around the construction of a city's cultural and tourism brand was held in Ningbo, Zhejiang province on July 2, part of the "Hi Ningbo" Art and Design Competition.

During the event, art experts gave keynote speeches about how Ningbo could leverage art in its promotion.

Xu Weibing, who took part in the production of Hollywood blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Looper, said that it is important to promote the city to the world by building a cultural brand through innovative methods that are popular among young people. 

Wang Kaicai, director of the Shanghai University Architectural Design Institute, also stressed that Ningbo can take a page from cities, such as Quebec in Canada, to promote the city's stories through artistic facilities.  

The event also brought an end to the "Hi Ningbo" Art and Design Competition, which started last November to call on the public to create a city logo and souvenirs. Forty-four projects stood out from 1,235 submissions after judges' evaluation and a public vote.

The project awarded the gold prize is a logo design featuring the voiceprint recorded when people pronouncing "Ningbo". The designer integrated the graphic representation of the voice with the patterns of books and waves, which symbolize Ningbo's book culture and maritime Silk Road culture.