The awards ceremony for the fourth BAITABEI Cultural Creativity Competition, along with the launch of its fifth edition, was held at the Xicheng District Cultural Center in Beijing on Dec 17.

Xicheng district, located at the very heart of the capital, has hosted the BAITABEI Cultural Creativity Competition since 2022. Centered on the theme "Integrating Culture in Xicheng, Co-Creating the Future", this year's competition featured five distinctive competition tracks.

The contest attracted 3,054 creative submissions from across China. After multiple rounds of evaluations, 100 outstanding projects advanced to the final stage.

"Xicheng district boasts abundant cultural resources and a profound cultural heritage," a representative from the Xicheng District Cultural Industry Development Promotion Center said, adding that the competition aims to build a bridge from creativity to the marketplace and attract more talent and high-quality creative projects to take root in Xicheng.

At the awards ceremony, which opened with a powerful and atmospheric drum performance, a total of 10 first, second and third prize awards were presented, along with 20 individual awards and 70 excellence awards. Winning projects included developing innovative approaches to revitalizing time-honored brands, the stage production Dreaming of the Red Chamber, and co-created short dramas with tourists. The project vividly illustrated the concept of "integrating culture in Xicheng".

Notably, a project signing ceremony was also held at the event, a concrete step in transitioning creative ideas from the competition stage to the marketplace.

Looking ahead, Xicheng district will continue to leverage the BAITABEI Cultural Creativity Competition to bring together a broader range of creative forces and contribute Xicheng's strength to the development of Beijing as a national cultural center.

Bai Shuhao contributed to this story.