'Beautiful China' (VR Edition) Debuts in Tokyo, Japan At 2016 China Festival

TOKYO, Feb. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- To enhance people-to-people exchanges between China and Japan, the 2016 China Festival, a culture and tourism promotion event launched by the Chinese Embassy in Japan, was held on Jan. 29-31 at the Roppongi Building, a landmark in Tokyo. "3D Beautiful China", an overseas tourism promotion program jointly initiated by the Information Office of the State Council and the China National Tourism Administration, and implemented by the China Intercontinental Communication Center (CICC)., had its premiere during the event.

The 2016 China Festival was initiated by the Chinese Embassy in Japan as a non-profit event to promote an appreciation of Chinese culture. The event featured Chinese culture, cuisine and entertainment performances. In particular, visitors were awed by "3D Beautiful China" and its use of personal VR technology.

The 3D films in the "Beautiful China" series take advantage of popular VR viewing apps and wearable devices, which enables people to have an immersive and interactive experience while exploring Chinese culture. The aim of the campaign is to offer a new way for foreigners to understand China and arouse their interests in visiting the country. During the Festival the "3D Beautiful China" exhibition stand was crowded with enthusiastic guests.

Currently, almost 100 Chinese tourist sites are available in the "3D Beautiful China" campaign, including the Great Wall, the Palace Museum, Lijiang and the Confucian Temple. Versions for tablets, mobile phones and airline entertainment terminals will be completed this year. In the future, users will be able to enjoy the interactive films wherever they have access to the Internet.

"Previously, cultural promotion events favored conventional forms, but our program intends to break from tradition and change the role of the audience from passive reception to interactive exploration," the CICC said in a statement. "The immersive travel experience made possible by VR technology can transcend regional or cultural boundaries, rendering traditional pictures or text pale by comparison."

As for the future, the CICC said, "We are among the first to set foot in the field of VR travel, beating both Google and Oculus. We are launching an online omni-media plan and an offline international exhibition tour of VR technology-based Chinese tourism. Last year, our promotional campaign in New York was a hit. The 2016 China Festival was our opportunity to interact with the Japanese audience. In the future, we plan to develop more content and build a VR travel platform as well as an offline itinerant exhibition mechanism. We hope to bring this brand new travel experience to all fans of Chinese culture in the world.

SOURCE China Intercontinental Communication Center