For the eight expats from the United States, Russia, Brazil, Morocco, Pakistan and Vietnam, their recent trip to the Qingdao West Coast New Area in Shandong province was a journey through the marvels of technological innovation.
At a film-making studio in the China Movie Metropolis, Russian visitor Balbashova Victoria found herself in awe as she sat inside a spherical device.
Victoria sits in the middle of the sophisticated micron-level facial scanning system at China Movie Metropolis. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
"It's so cool to see such high-tech equipment used for film-making," she said. "I've heard that this machine is one of the only two in the world and the only one in Asia, a testament to Qingdao WCNA's advanced film-making industry."
Consisting of 150 industrial cameras and six high-speed cameras, this advanced setup is able to create a micron-level facial scan. It uses technologies such as artificial intelligence to scan actors' faces and generate hyper-realistic digital models, allowing digital counterparts to replace real actors in various scenes and pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling.
This equipment is just one of the many pioneering technologies available on CMM's virtualization production platform, which is leading to the digitization and virtualization of China's film industry.
Spanning 1.7 million square meters, CMM features 40 film-making studios ranging in size from 1,000 to 10,000 square meters, along with 32 multifunctional workshops, said Zhu Hongchang, an engineer at CMM who was also the guide for the delegation.
He added that this film production complex stands as a testament to Qingdao WCNA's commitment to providing comprehensive, top-tier services to filmmakers worldwide.
"The future belongs to the latest technologies," said Muhammad Uzair Ali from Pakistan after his visit to CMM, adding that the film industry and technological innovation go hand in hand here.
At the innovation and sci-tech exhibition hall of Qingdao's smart household appliance maker Aucma, Thales Saque from Brazil was fascinated by a refrigerator that automatically opens with a light knock.
"I never thought we could open the refrigerator door like this," said the Brazilian visitor. He added that this kind of innovative approach makes the process of using household appliances much more enjoyable.
The exhibition hall showcased many other smart home innovations, such as refrigerators with touchscreens and smart living room and bedroom furniture controlled by voice commands.
Thales Saque (second from right) from Brazil, together with other seven international tourists, learns about the technological innovation of Aucma. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Qingdao, Aucma is one of China's top 500 manufacturing enterprises.
In recent years, it has shifted from a traditional home appliance company primarily focused on freezers to an enterprise focusing on full cold chain products.
The company currently holds more than 2,000 patents across various technological fields, including low-temperature refrigeration, green energy saving, and smart internet of things.
The advanced equipment and technologies at both CMM and Aucma offer a glimpse of the rapid technological development taking place in Qingdao WCNA.
In 2023, the region's GDP exceeded 500 billion yuan ($69.21 billion), accounting for 31.7 percent of Qingdao's total economic output.
As Qingdao WCNA celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024, the region is drawing up a new blueprint for the future, seeking to boost the modernization of the industrial system through technological innovation and developing new quality productive forces, according to local officials.
China (Shandong) Pilot Free Trade Zone Qingdao Area
