Leveraging creative initiatives to support economic recovery

Panel of representatives from Suzhou in attending online dialogue

The online dialogue was hosted by Tao Yuguang, Chief of North American and Oceanian Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipality. It was attended by Suzhou representatives include Li Wenhui, deputy director of Foreign Affairs Office of Suzhou Municipal People's government, Wang Xiaojun, deputy director of Economic and Technological Bureau for Gusu District, Suzhou, Sun Qun, deputy director of executive committee for Suzhou International Design Week, Jiao Lu, chairman of HDZ co. and Zhang Jie, representative of Yisu Design Pty Ltd, as well as virtually attended by representatives from the City of Melbourne, such as Andrew Wear, Cady Ferguson and Stuart Koop etc. In addition, students from Southeast University-Monash University Joint Graduate School were also being invited to witness the whole process of the event itself by watching online broadcast. As a result, the online forum has received approaching fourteen thousand viewers online through the online broadcasting platform known as CITYSUZHOU. 

Introduction of Suzhou's icon - "Gusu Eight Thirty" by Mr. Wang, deputy director of Economic and Technological Bureau for Gusu District

The group representative from the Suzhou Municipal Government had initiated the dialogue by sharing the experience of recovering urban economics in the past of approximately half a year. According to the deputy director of Economic and Technological Bureau for Gusu District, the Suzhou city had launched the brand "Gusu Eight Thirty" of representing the night-time economics during the year 2020, in which it has promoted the development of emerging consumer-related industrial clusters in the field of cultural tourism, as well as stimulated the economic recovery progress during the post-epidemic era.

The night-time economic plan was launched over ten districts within Suzhou city itself. It's leading idea in attracting crowds for boosting consumer spending has contributed to organization of a series of events to divert more traffic returning to retail stores and recover consumer spending capabilities of the city itself. Up till today, the plan had attracted nearly three million participants, including daily traffic of major street attractions approaching 210 thousands and its total traffic of approximately 1.67 million during the Golden Week period on month of October.

Introductory video for Kunqu opera, "Six Chapters Of A Floating Life"

In addition, the night-time economic plan had also partnered with local cultural and creative brands to integrate modern fashion and consumer preferences onto a series of end-product innovations such as performances, cultural creative goods and cultural tourism for young communities, based on Suzhou's own ancient cultures. Taking the one of the immersive Kunqu opera, "Six Chapters Of A Floating Life" as an example, Jiao Lu, chairman of HDZ, has introduced the assignment of the "Six Chapters Of A Floating Life" as the main brand representative, followed by extended brands including "Floating Life Collection" and "Gusu Eight Thirty". The opera brand itself had carried out 59 stage performances and welcomed over two thousand spectators, thus it became the driving factor of consumer spending in the post-pandemic era.

Subsequently, Cady Ferguson, one of the City Of Melbourne's representative, had introduced brief details of plans in supporting small and medium enterprises (SME) during the epidemic and revitalizing the post-pandemic Melbourne city. The City of Melbourne has delivered a 5.5 million funding for over one thousand enterprises since the major outbreak occurred during the month of March in the year 2020.  In addition, the cultural investment team from the City of Melbourne has initiated a quick response plan for subsidising and supporting local individual artists as well as small and medium art and cultural organizations. The funding allocated for the plan included the transition costs for comedy shows to online broadcasting during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, in which it has successfully secured over 11 jobs including performers, content creators and directors etc.

During the dialogue,  Cady also further introduced the reactivation grant for small enterprises, in which it belongs to part of the $100 million recovery fund delivered by the City of Melbourne, in order to encourage reopening of existing enterprises and stimulate urban economic recovery progress and consumer spending. There were F&B enterprises including bars and restaurants that had utilized the funding to improve outdoor dining equipment in the midst of preparation for the upcoming Christmas season.

Joint signature of mutual partnership between two major cities, witnessed by Victoria Premier, Daniel Andrews and  Chen Xingying, vice governor of Jiangsu Province

Both cities, Melbourne and Suzhou, have developed into a remarkable relationship thanks to consistent efforts of enforcing sister-state relationships between Victoria and Jiangsu Province for almost 41 years. In the year 2019, Chen Xingying, vice governor of Jiangsu Province, had not just officially visited the Victoria state, but also accompany Victoria Premier, Daniel Andrews to witness together the successful joint signature between Suzhou cultural enterprise, Heritage Glory Group and Australia cultural enterprise, PR Asia, regarding on collaboration terms between the two major cities in terms of cultural aspect. The partnership involved construction of cultural communication centres respectively on both cities, as well as assigned their operation responsibilities to be undertaken by Yisu Design Pty Ltd, Suzhou.

Following on, a three year collaboration agreement regarding on joint collaborations between cultural and creative industries in cities of Melbourne and Suzhou has been established on 24th of August to promote an extensive partnership between both cities in developing infrastructures and works related to cultural and creative industries, as well as providing a global collaborative platform for industrial creators to perform a comprehensive exchange of views and thoughts with one another. According to the agreement itself, the Suzhou Municipal Government will announce Melbourne to be featured as the guest city for the upcoming 2021 Suzhou International Design Week.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted the development progress scheduled in year 2020, it has never brought the progress of moving forward to a halt. In future, both parties will stay engaging with one another to share development experiences respectively, as well as evolving more opportunities and creating better future together.