Opened in 2016, the Thames Town in the Songjiang district of Shanghai was built to resemble a quaint British neighborhood[Photo by Wang Naide/Asianewsphoto]

The integration of tourism and creative industries can be achieved in many ways, theme parks, art streets and blocks, tourism performance art etc. The 798 Art Zone is a fine example, which has successfully turned vacant factories into a thriving artistic community and can best exemplifies how art, culture, creativity and tourism can be integrated into a travel brand. The shabby streets have been creatively transformed into unique architectural complex, where you can find SOHO style art hubs and a good number of avant-garde art exhibitions.

Another good example is the Thames Town in the Songjiang district of Shanghai. Opened in 2016, the town was built to resemble a quaint British neighborhood, complete with red-brick cottages and chimneys, a chapel, a covered bridge and shuttle buses that resemble steam trains. It is not a simple replica of the Thames riverside, what it aims for is to provide visitors with an authentic British experience in an ecological environment where people, nature and architectures are in a truly harmonious state.