“Read the Asia-Pacific · Discover Shenzhen”: Proposal for the 2026 APEC Reading Salon and Silk Road Cultural Market, Bridging Cultures Through Books, Arts, and Innovation
Shenzhen, China – September 11, 2026 – On September 3, 2026, the “Read the Asia-Pacific · Discover Shenzhen” – 2026 APEC Reading Salon and Silk Road Cultural Market was held at Eyes of the GBA in Shenzhen. As a major cultural warm-up event for the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, the activity brought together guests from over ten economies including Russia, Brazil, Switzerland, Georgia, and South Korea, along with an APEC media delegation. Through books, crafts, and technology, it extended a heartfelt invitation to “meet Shenzhen and witness miracles.”
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEUoef5fvc4
Shan Yonghui, Deputy Director of Guangdong Radio and Television Station, stated that the event aims to build cultural bridges, helping Asia-Pacific friends understand China and Shenzhen through reading.
At the reading salon, former Vice Minister of the Publicity Department Wang Shiming traced China’s tradition of “reading as the highest pursuit” and underscored the nation’s culture of hard work. Professor Tao Yitao from Shenzhen University noted that hosting APEC in Shenzhen reflects a convergence of institutional and historical logic, sharing a “theoretical isomorphism” with Shenzhen’s gradual reforms. Professor Dai Yonghong cited three Ming-dynasty maritime classics to illustrate the mutual reinforcement between APEC and the Belt and Road Initiative. Producer Xie YiFei shared touching stories from eight years of Silk Road documentary filming, while Brazilian scholar Eduardo Tavares spoke of mathematics as a cross-cultural intellectual bridge.
A roundtable featured Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce Honorary President Martin Mueller, Russian artist Anastasiia Kraeva, urban planner Zhou Yi, and returnee entrepreneur Chen Zhiyan. They discussed Shenzhen’s “open genes,” the importance of “heart-to-heart connectivity” through education, the “symbiotic city” model of intensive renewal, and brand globalization as a “coming-of-age” challenge for Chinese enterprises.
The event opened with a traditional Chinese incense ceremony and closed with a cross-cultural choir performance led by Korean scholar Jeff Shin and the Shenzhen University International Chorus. The Silk Road Cultural Market hosted 30 stalls featuring products from ten countries, intangible heritage crafts, and smart innovations, drawing interactive visits from APEC journalists. Foreign reporters remarked, “Shenzhen is not just about high-tech – it also has a literary soul and vibrant local culture.” Through their lenses, Guangdong’s stories reached a global audience.
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