On the afternoon of March 13th, local time in the UK, the VR metaverse immersive experience and English copyright promotion conference for the book *Classic of Mountains and Seas: An Illustrated Guide to Chinese Mythical Beasts*, jointly hosted by the Sino-British Science and Technology Innovation Platform and Zhongzhou Ancient Books Publishing House under the Zhongyuan Publishing and Media Group, was successfully held at the London Olympia Exhibition Centre.
Zhao Haiyun, Deputy Director and First-Level Inspector of the Import and Export Administration Bureau of the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee; Ren Xiang, founder of the Sino-British Science and Technology Innovation Platform; and Zhang Peiming, Member of the Party Committee, Director, and Deputy General Manager of Zhongyuan Publishing and Media Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., attended the event. The event also specially invited Ms. Fang Si Wu, a British librarian, sinologist, and historian; Ms. Ning Ping (pen name An of London), Senior Art and Culture Consultant of New Vision International Group (NVIG); and Mr. Liu Hao, the author of the book, to attend and give speeches.
Classic works of traditional Chinese culture are a precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation. *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, the earliest record of natural and human geography, contains the early explorations of the world's nature by the Chinese people, full of fascinating wisdom and imagination, and is one of the representative works of classic Chinese traditional culture. J.K. Rowling, author of the *Harry Potter* series, depicted many fantastical creatures living in the magical world in her work *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*, among which the "Zouwu" is an Eastern mythical beast from the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*.
"The Classic of Mountains and Seas: An Illustrated Guide to Chinese Mythical Beasts" is an original picture book that innovatively uses AR and MR technologies to bring mythical beasts to life, transforming traditional culture into a multi-sensory reading experience that combines visual, auditory, drawing, and interactive elements. It is deeply loved by young readers. This promotional event is a concrete example of how digital technology empowers cultural innovation and opens up new directions for cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and other countries.
In his address, Ren Xiang, founder of the Sino-British Technology Innovation Platform, strongly affirmed the book's value and its significant role in Sino-foreign cultural exchange, highlighting the new direction of digital technology empowering cultural innovation and promoting the overseas reach of outstanding traditional Chinese culture under the digital wave. He also announced that on March 24th, a grand ceremony for overseas Chinese in the UK to pay homage to the Yellow Emperor will be held in London's Chinatown. This marks the first time that mythical creatures from the Classic of Mountains and Seas have been organically combined with offline cultural activities centered on the Yellow Emperor, a shared ancestor of Chinese civilization. This innovative exploration of cultural export is a significant step forward. He cordially invited everyone to London's Chinatown to experience the immersive portrayal of the Classic of Mountains and Seas and personally witness the unique charm of the "Shan Hai" culture.
Zhang Peiming, a member of the Party Committee, Director, and Deputy General Manager of Zhongyuan Publishing & Media Investment Holding Group Co., Ltd., briefly introduced the positive explorations made by Zhongyuan Publishing & Media Group and its subsidiary, Zhongzhou Ancient Books Publishing House, in recent years to achieve the "creative transformation and innovative development" of traditional Chinese culture. *The Classic of Mountains and Seas: An Illustrated Guide to Chinese Mythical Beasts* is a prime example of this. In recent years, over 500 books from Zhongyuan Publishing & Media Group have been translated into 25 languages and published in countries and regions outside mainland China. These copyright exchange activities have made positive contributions to cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and other countries.
Subsequently, invited guests including British librarian, sinologist, and historian Fang Si Wu, English translator Ning Ping, and Chinese author Liu Hao shared their insights on traditional Chinese culture, as well as their interesting experiences and reflections on creating and working with *The Classic of Mountains and Seas: An Illustrated Guide to Chinese Mythical Beasts*.
In the wave of the digital age, the dissemination and exchange of culture has ushered in unprecedented opportunities, giving more traditional cultures the possibility of being revitalized. A large number of emerging artificial intelligence technologies, such as chatGPT, Sora, and Claude3, are forming new productive forces that empower industries and provide new impetus for innovation in the cultural field, especially for the overseas expansion of traditional Chinese culture.
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