In the lecture, Xie Xiangnan first reviewed some iconic cultural phenomena that have grown locally in Shenzhen over the past 43 years, and also explored the possibility of developing Shenzhen's urban culture in the future. He believes that in the future, Shenzhen will have five cultural forms: youth culture, technology culture, design culture, innovation culture, and imitation culture. The interweaving and promotion of five cultural forms will be the positive growth value and urban cultural characteristics of Shenzhen's urban culture.

The high-quality development of culture cannot be achieved without the production, creation, and achievement support of literary and artistic masterpieces. Starting from the interception and reflection of time, "A Day of Shenzhen People" attempts to retain people's memories of this moment, this place, this person, and this thing. How to artistically preserve human memories is itself a very good artistic creation. Xie Xiangnan stated that there should be a certain relationship and connection between public art creation and urban culture. Public art should also become an important bridge connecting the public and the city. From the existing public art works in Shenzhen, works from different eras also to a certain extent showcase the urban spirit and cultural characteristics of Shenzhen, such as the sculpture "Pioneering Bulls" created by Pan He in the 1980s, "A Day of Shenzhen People" hosted by Sun Zhenhua, and the recent launch of Shenzhen Metro public art.

At the end of the lecture, Xie Xiangnan stated that public art is closely related to the daily life, cultural environment and atmosphere of the city, the regional and overall development of the city, and even the cultural mission entrusted to it by the state, whether from the perspective of individual artist creation, urban cultural and artistic brand construction, or urban cultural image shaping. Artists and planners should actively seek and present this relationship when planning related activities. This is the convergence point between public art and urban cultural forms, and it is also the fundamental method for urban culture to move towards prosperity, demonstration, and resistance against time.

Poet, art critic, and senior journalist Xie Xiangnan

Invited by the Guan Shan Yue Art Museum, we will give a lecture on the cultural forms of species and the intersection of public art in Shenzhen to both online and offline audiences.

Xie Xiangnan introduced that in the 1980s, Shenzhen Special Economic Zone was not only an economic pioneer who dared to take risks, but also a cultural pioneer to some extent. The construction and development of some cultural facilities are at the forefront of the country.

According to Xie Xiangnan's observation, in the 1990s, Shenzhen's urban culture exhibited three typical phenomena and trends: first, the main melody culture, marked by the song "Spring Stories" born in the 1990s; The second is popular culture, which is significantly influenced by Hong Kong and Taiwan. At that time, Shenzhen's entertainment industry was at the forefront of the country; The third is immigration and grassroots culture, marked by the stage of "everyone's happiness" and work literature, as well as the emergence of youth culture and urban culture. In the 1990s, folk culture in Shenzhen was also quite active, with explorations in cultural markets and industries.

Since the 21st century, Shenzhen has undergone a cultural industry transfer and upgrading. It is at this time that the consciousness of urban cultural subjectivity begins to awaken. One of the iconic events is the establishment of Shenzhen Reading Month. This is a large-scale comprehensive mass reading and cultural activity, which has now become one of the important urban cultural brand activities in Shenzhen. In 2003, Shenzhen established the development policy of "cultural city". At the "Shenzhen Cultural City Building Conference" held in March 2004, Shenzhen proposed the goal of building "two cities and one capital" - that is, to build a "library city", a "piano city", and a "design city". In 2004, a planner in Shenzhen, Wu Xiao, planned the slogan copy "If you don't go home during the Chinese New Year this year, if you come, you will be Shenzhen people". Later, "If you come, you will be Shenzhen people" gained widespread recognition in the mainstream society of Shenzhen.

In 2008, Shenzhen joined the UNESCO Global Creative City Network and was awarded the title of "City of Design". From proposing the concept of "City of Design" to truly becoming a "City of Design", it only took four years, relying on the design culture accumulated in Shenzhen since the early 1990s.

From 2010 to today, Shenzhen has gradually formed a cultural texture with its own characteristics, and has also demonstrated a certain cultural confidence. In February 2019, the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area was promulgated. In August of the same year, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council issued the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Supporting the Construction of Shenzhen as a Pilot Demonstration Zone for Socialism with Chinese Characteristics". Shenzhen once again stood at the forefront of the times, winning the dividends of "dual zone drive", and under the spotlight of the times, ushered in a new historical mission of urban cultural construction and development, moving towards high-quality development, cultural advancement, and demonstration cities.

After sorting out the characteristics and process of Shenzhen's urban cultural development in the early stage, Xie Xiangnan believes that in the future, Shenzhen may develop five cultural forms, which may reflect the positive growth value and rich characteristics of Shenzhen's urban culture.

The first is youth culture, that is, youth culture. As the youngest city in the country, Shenzhen has gradually formed a cultural characteristic dominated by young people, including various youth cultures and subcultures with urban carnival and festive temperament, such as music festivals, anime festivals, film festivals, literary seasons, tassel festivals, urban marathons, and college student sports games. In Xie Xiangnan's view, Shenzhen's "youth culture" still needs to be strengthened and strengthened, and these cultural brands should be further developed.

The second is technology (science fiction) culture. Technology is the cornerstone of Shenzhen's future development, and new technological culture will also be formed. Shenzhen not only has numerous technology enterprises, but also complete industry university research support, making the future technology and culture immeasurable.

The third is design culture. Since the 21st century, design culture has become one of the most important cultural characteristics in Shenzhen. From economic special zones to international cultural and creative pioneer cities and demonstration areas of socialism with Chinese characteristics, design culture is one of the important driving forces for the endogenous development of Shenzhen city. The development path of Shenzhen, from market driven to technology driven, and then to design and culture driven, clearly presents the most dynamic growth sample of Chinese modern culture.

The fourth is the culture of innovation, which is "creating something out of nothing and changing within something". From the ten concepts of "daring to be the first in the world" to the innovative transformation and modern expression of traditional culture, all have confirmed that innovation originates from changes in ideas and concepts.

The fifth is the culture of imitation, such as popular visual arts, improvisation, graffiti art, trendy toys, teamLab exhibitions, etc. They share a certain common trait, which is the re coding of consumer culture, life scenes, and urbanism.

These five possible directions for urban cultural development will grow from the existing artistic and cultural textures in Shenzhen, and they will permeate and blend with each other, interweave and promote each other.

The high-quality development of culture cannot be achieved without the production, creation, and achievement support of literary and artistic masterpieces. Starting from the interception and reflection of time, "A Day of Shenzhen People" attempts to retain people's memories of this moment, this place, this person, and this thing. How to artistically preserve human memories is itself a very good artistic creation.

Xie Xiangnan stated that there should be a certain relationship and connection between public art creation and urban culture.

There are generally two types of public art in Shenzhen: event oriented public art and individual oriented public art. Event oriented refers to some public art exhibitions and events, such as the previous China Design Exhibition Public Art Special Exhibition, Shenzhen Hong Kong Urban Architecture Biennale, Shenzhen Sculpture Biennale, Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area Public Art Literature Exhibition, and the first "Art Exhibition Axis" Public Art Exhibition. From these exhibition activities, it can be seen that in recent years, public art exhibitions and their creations in Shenzhen have formed a certain atmosphere, attracting the attention, interaction, and participation of citizens, and triggering more resonance with art. This is also a good way of art education.

Individual public art creation mainly refers to the independent or commissioned creation of artists. This type of work has the personality and identity of an artist. Once these works are placed in public spaces of the city or participate in exhibitions related to public art, they form a public influence.

Public art should become an explicit symbol in the city, which can play a good role in promoting and promoting the city.

Academic host and director of the Guan Shanyue Art Museum, Chen Xiangbo, believes that as a rapidly growing and changing city, after 43 years of development and accumulation, Shenzhen is gradually forming its own cultural style, form, and attitude. Today, Shenzhen is moving ahead in the direction of "cultural demonstration". Shenzhen's cultural mentality has gone from ups and downs to stability and determination. After experiencing various cultural blends and washes, it is anchoring its own positioning in a global perspective.