The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area City Branding and International Communication Seminar took place in Guangzhou on Dec 21.

Renowned experts, media representatives, and communication scholars from all over the county gave their suggestions and provided intellectual support for the improvement of the international image and influence of Guangzhou.

Cities in the Greater Bay Area can tell their own stories by combining their advantages and characteristics, said Yu Tao, deputy director of the China Foreign Languages Publishing Administration.

According to Li Shanming, the promotion of urban communications is a complicated system that needs to integrate the history, present, and future of the city, while also making full use of its cultural and material advantages.

The effective use of Guangzhou's city branding, urban culture, and urban characteristics can broaden awareness of Guangzhou in the Greater Bay Area and even in the world, added Li.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area City Branding and International Communication Seminar takes place in Guangzhou on Dec 21. [Photo/cipg.org.cn]

As the capital city of Guangdong province, Guangzhou has been accelerating the construction of a portal for cultural exchanges with foreign countries by building the brand of "Guangzhou Storytelling Conference," as well as holding a series of high-end international conferences and foreign exchange activities, said Deng Hong, deputy head of the Information Office of the Guangdong Provincial Government.

As of Dec 20, Guangzhou has carried out a total of 240 press conferences since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 70,000 domestic and foreign reports were published, with a total reading amount of over seven billion views.

Xu Weixin, vice chairman of the China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy, said that the Understanding China Conference that was held twice in Guangzhou provided a Guangzhou sample for the world to understand China, as well as to show the world Guangzhou's splendid traditional and modern culture.

When planning publicity activities, Guangzhou should combine their modern features with traditional Chinese culture, added Xu, so that Guangzhou's city branding will be promoted in the world, as well as that the Chinese story would be more vivid and more widely spread.

To really do a good job in city branding and international communication, governments, enterprises, and individuals should all get involved and the media alone is not enough, said Liu Jiawen, vice-president of Xinhuanet.com.

The role of media should be made full use of, while foreigners working or studying in Guangzhou can also be invited to participate in the setting of publicity activities, added Liu.