17th Pujiang Innovation Forum focuses on tech, innovation

The 2024 Pujiang Innovation Forum kicked off on Saturday in Shanghai with an aim to build an open platform for international scientific-technological innovation, cooperation and exchanges.

With the theme "Towards an open environment for scientific and technological innovation", the four-day event features a main session along with 24 specialized forums, a global technology transfer conference, and a global venture capital conference, showcasing innovations and facilitating valuable connections.

The forum has attracted over 300 participants, with nearly 40 percent representing 40 different countries and regions including Hungary, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.

Hungary holds the distinction of being the guest of honor at this year's forum, commemorating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties with China.

"The Hungarian delegation counts more than 40 professionals, coming mainly from universities and the enterprise sector. We hold two different match-making events for our enterprises, together with Chinese venture capitalists, entrepreneurs and other investors," said Laszlo Bodis, deputy state secretary responsible for innovation at the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation.

Shanghai, a Chinese financial hub, on Saturday announced the establishment of a 10-billion-yuan (about 1.41 billion U.S. dollars) fund to nurture future industries.

It aims to boost confidence in early-stage technology investment and accelerate the transformation of cutting-edge innovations into new quality productive forces.

WeStart 2024, the global venture capital conference, also kicked off on Saturday, showcasing 100 innovation projects from around the world.

The world's first three-dimensional bionic eye is one of the mind-blowing ideas. It integrates billions of nano-structures to achieve imaging very similar to that of the human eye.

"In 2020, we published our work on top international journal Nature. Our device works by photoelectric nanowire array to mimic the human eye to achieve high precision imaging. It can be used on our smart devices as an imaging unit, and it can also be used in the field of visual reconstruction for visually impaired patients to help them regain their sight," said Ding Yucheng, a PhD student at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

The forum also highlighted 2,000 startup projects and selected 100 for live presentations, attracting global innovation efforts to China's vibrant ecosystem.

"We are manufacturing electric vehicles for the African market. And there is no other great partner that we can have than China to do that," said a founder of a start-up project.

17th Pujiang Innovation Forum focuses on tech, innovation

As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, vibrant celebrations are taking place around the globe, allowing people from various countries to experience and appreciate the charm of Chinese culture.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, observed on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar, is a treasured time for family reunions. This year, it falls on Tuesday. The festival is typically celebrated with family gatherings, moon viewing, and the enjoyment of mooncakes, a traditional pastry associated with the occasion.

In Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo, the Mid-Autumn Festival carnival infused the city with festive energy on Saturday. The Wuju Opera Troupe from east China's Jinhua City performed traditional dragon dances and the "Golden Monkey Welcomes Spring" show.

At a dedicated Chinese cultural corridor, local residents had the chance to immerse in traditional Chinese arts, such as calligraphy, paper cutting, and ink painting.

On Sunday, a special Mid-Autumn Gala themed "Night of the Waterfalls," was held in Foz do Iguacu, the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls. Chinese expatriates and local residents experienced the intricacies of Chinese culture and traditions.

In Hungary, two Mid-Autumn Festival activities - the "Mooncake Workshop" and the "Mid-Autumn Garden Party" were held at the Chinese Cultural Center in the capital city of Budapest on Saturday.

The Mooncake Workshop gave locals the opportunity to learn the art of making traditional flower mooncakes and snow-skin mooncakes. At the same time, the Mid-Autumn Garden Party featured a variety of interactive Chinese cultural activities, offering guests a deeper understanding of Chinese festival customs.

"I feel that there's always new things to learn about China. It has such a vast history and culture, all sorts of things, and also like geographically there are a lot of different ethnicities with all the different customs. So it's very fascinating to me," said Anna, one of the locals.

Meanwhile, countries such as Jordan and Myanmar hosted a variety of Mid-Autumn Festival activities, including exhibitions of intangible cultural heritage, poetry recitations, and artistic performances.

People across globe hold colorful activities to celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival