A Shandong delegation from the cultural and creative sectors is taking part in the 17th edition of the Hong Kong International Licensing Show and the eighth Asian Licensing Conference from Jan 7 to 9.

Organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the licensing show is hailed as Asia's largest and the world's second-largest event of its kind. Held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center, the event features more than 400 exhibitors from around the globe, gathering over 1,000 brands and licensed items.

Organized by the Shandong provincial department of culture and tourism and the Shandong Cultural Creative Design Industry Association, this is the second time that the Shandong delegation have attended the event.

The delegation is composed of eight Shandong-based companies from numerous fields such as book publishing, the cultural creative industry, arts, animation and comics, aiming to promote the province's unique culture to the whole world, increase exchanges with international counterparts in the licensing and cultural and creative industries, as well as expand cultural trade.

A series of cultural creative products, books and designs featuring Shandong culture elements are being exhibited at the event.

In recent years, Shandong has been striving to turn its cultural and creative industry into an economic pillar, encouraging more animation, comics, arts and cultural enterprises to commercialize their creativity and IPs into licensed products and services.

Government officials visit the Shandong pavilion at the Hong Kong International Licensing Show on Jan 7, 2019. [Photo/Cultural Shandong]

The Shandong delegation takes part in the opening ceremony of the Chinese mainland pavilion at the Hong Kong International Licensing Show on Jan 7, 2019. [Photo/Cultural Shandong]