Foreword

The year 2023 marks the beginning of the comprehensive implementation of the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China. Cultural consump tion has been rapidly rebounding，and the cultural and tourism industry has been experiencing a strong recovery. At a meet on cultural inheritance and development held on June 2rd 2024，President Xi Jinping has pointed out that，a profound understanding of the history of Chinese civilization is essential to promoting the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture in a more effective manner，pushing ahead with the building of a cultural sector with Chinese characteristics more strongly and developing a modern Chinese civilization. Cultural heritage is the main carrier and manifestation of Chinese civilization and also the source of content for the cultural and creative industries. Fully protecting，inheriting，and revitalizing cultural heritage is an inevitable choice for building modern Chinese civilization，developing the cultural and creative industries，and enhancing soft power of Chinese culture.

The Chinese Creative Industries Report 2024，themed Cu ltural Heritage Protection and Utilization ，continues to lead the book with a general report，supported by city reports. The report reflects the national development of cultural and creative industries through 20 cities，including Beijing，Tianjin，Shijiazhuang，Chengde，Harbin，Yangzhou，Hangzhou，Ningbo，Nanchang，Jingdezhen，Qingdao，Zhengzhou，Kaifeng，Wuhan，Guangzhou，Guiyang，Xi'an，Xining，New Taipei，and Macao. The report focuses on how these cities promote the development of cultural and creative industries and the construction of creative cities through the transformation and utilization of industrial heritage，digitalization of large-scale archaeological sites，development of cultural and creative products based on museum IPs，and revitalization of intangible cultural heritage. The report also elaborates on the current status，models，and characteristics of the development of cultural and creative industries in these cities，summarizes successful experiences，identifies problems and shortcomings，and then explores countermeasures and development directions in the context of the domestic and international environment of the cultural and creative industries. The final chapter is the Chinese Urban Cultural Creativity Index Report，which releases a ranking of cultural and creative development in 140 cities across the country.

As the main report of the Blue Book of Creative Cities ， The Chinese Creative Industries Report has been tracking the development of Chinese creative industries for 19 consecutive years，recording the development process of the cultural and creative industries in major cities in China in a relatively complete manner. Hereby，we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all the participating experts，scholars，and researchers from various creative cities. We also thank Beijing Academy of Science and Technology for its consistent support in the compilation of The Chinese Creative Industries Report. As an important carrier of think tank products，this blue book will further enrich the content and form of the think tank achievements.