66 cities have been selected to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) on October 31, the World Cities Day. The UCCN now has 246 members among which Nanjing and Yangzhou have been respectively recognized as City of Literature and City of Gastronomy.
Chinese Cities in the UCCN:
Shenzhen was officially recognized as City of Design in 2008. It is China's first city to join the network.
Shanghai was recognized as City of Design, while Chengdu City of Gastronomy in 2010. In addition, Chengdu is the first Asian city to win the recognition.
Hangzhou was recognized as City of Crafts & Folk Art, while Beijing City of Design in 2012.
Jingdezhen and Suzhou were listed among Cities of Crafts & Folk Art, while Shunde was recognized as City of Gastronomy in 2014.
Changsha, Macao, Qingdao and Wuhan were respectively recognized as City of Media Arts, City of Gastronomy, City of Film and City of Design in 2016 for their achievements in digital arts, food, films and design.
Nanjing and Yangzhou were respectively recognized as City of Literature and City of Gastronomy in 2019.
So far, 14 cities in China have joined the UCCN. They present the diversity and creative ability of the Chinese urban culture. The network is a platform gathering cities around the world which develop on the basis of creativity. It covers music, crafts & folk art, design, film, literature, media arts and gastronomy. The development strategy of UNESCO Creative Cities will center on the creative and cultural industry and experience sharing.
"All over the world, these cities, each in its way, make culture the pillar, not an accessory, of their strategy," says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. "This favors political and social innovation and is particularly important for the young generations."
UNESCO and representatives of 24 cities around the world celebrated the World Cities Day on October 31 and motivated other members of the UCCN. Members focus on cultures, offering resources to the public, urban inclusiveness, global citizenship education, rights protection, economy and jobs, as well as prevention of and response to climate change. The celebration is a chance for members to communicate with each other. During the event, some cities shared their experience in ways to develop themselves through innovation and collective intelligence.
In addition, the celebration also honored 10 cities which serve their citizens by the most advanced technological innovation, in order to encourage cities across the world to adopt sustainable ways of development. The event is part of the cooperation between UNESCO and the Netexplo Observatory. Candidates, selected by a global network consisting of 20 colleges, are the 10 cities which creatively utilize digital technology in the development of social economy and environment.
The new 66 UNESCO Creative Cities are:
Afyonkarahisar (Turkey) – Gastronomy
Ambon (Indonesia) – Music
Angoulême (France) – Literature
Areguá (Paraguay) – Crafts and Folk Art
Arequipa (Peru) – Gastronomy
Asahikawa (Japan) – Design
Ayacucho (Peru) – Crafts and Folk Art
Baku (Azerbaijan) – Design
Ballarat (Australia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Bandar Abbas (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Crafts and Folk Art
Bangkok (Thailand) – Design
Beirut (Lebanon) – Literature
Belo Horizonte (Brazil) – Gastronomy
Bendigo (Australia) – Gastronomy
Bergamo (Italy) – Gastronomy
Biella (Italy) – Crafts and Folk Art
Caldas da Rainha (Portugal) – Crafts and Folk Art
Cebu City (the Philippines) – Design
Essaouira (Morocco) – Music
Exeter (Britain) – Literature
Fortaleza (Brazil) – Design
Hanoi (Vietnam) – Design
Havana (Cuba) – Music
Hyderabad (India) – Gastronomy
Jinju (Republic of Korea) – Crafts and Folk Art
Kargopol (Russia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Karlsruhe (Germany) – Media Arts
Kazan (Russian Federation) – Music
Kırşehir (Turkey) – Music
Kuhmo (Finland) – Literature
Lahore (Pakistan) – Literature
Leeuwarden (the Netherlands) – Literature
Leiria (Portugal) – Music
Lliria (Spain) – Music
Mérida (Mexico) – Gastronomy
Metz (France) – Music
Muharraq (Bahrain) – Design
Mumbai (India) – Film
Nanjing (China) – Literature
Odessa (Ukraine) – Literature
Overstrand Hermanus (South Africa) – Gastronomy
Port of Spain (Trinidad and Tobago) – Music
Portoviejo (Ecuador) – Gastronomy
Potsdam (Germany) – Film
Querétaro (Mexico) – Design
Ramallah (Palestine) – Music
San José (Costa Rica) – Design
Sanandaj (Iran [Islamic Republic of]) – Music
Santiago de Cali (Colombia) – Media Arts
Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) – Music
Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – Film
Sharjah (United Arab Emirates) – Crafts and Folk Art
Slemani (Iraq) – Literature
Sukhothai (Thailand) – Crafts and Folk Art
Trinidad (Cuba) – Crafts and Folk Art
Valladolid (Spain) – Film
Valledupar (Colombia) – Music
Valparaíso (Chile) – Music
Veszprém (Hungary) – Music
Viborg (Denmark) – Media Arts
Viljandi (Estonia) – Crafts and Folk Art
Vranje (Serbia) – Music
Wellington (New Zealand) – Film
Wonju (Republic of Korea) – Literature
Wrocław (Poland) – Literature
Yangzhou (China) – Gastronomy
