Gateway city of Bay Area rebrands to reach out across the world

Zhuhai, a coastal city in South China's Guangdong province, has recently sharpened its global image by releasing a new city logo and promotional video.

As the only mainland city that connects Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions with the world's longest sea-crossing bridge, which opened last October, Zhuhai is going to play a more important role in regional reform and opening-up, said Long Guangyan, head of the city's publicity department.

In the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Zhuhai is to become a gateway and hub of the area, a core city on the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary and a quality development model among coastal cities, Long noted.

Experts from China and abroad give their opinions on Zhuhai's new image. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We sincerely invite people from all walks of life to be ambassadors of Zhuhai to deliver all kinds of information about the city to the outside world, so that more people can understand and love Zhuhai," she said at the launch of the new logo and promotional video on Aug 25.

Lang Liqun, designer of the logo, said he picked the most representative elements to make the city logo stand out.

"The city logo must reflect the past, the present and the future of the city," Lang said.

The past means the historical and cultural heritage of the city, the present indicates the opportunities and its mission and the future refers to the goal and values, he explained.

After on-the-site investigations, careful consideration and several revisions, Lang chose the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the iconic Fisher Maiden statue as well as green hills and blue waters as core elements to go into the city logo.

He arranged the simplified image of the bridge on the left side, which symbolizes the unique location and historical opportunity of Zhuhai in the Bay Area.

The changing colors and extending lines on the right represent green hills and blue waters, or the city's persistence in environmental protection and ecological development.

In between, the iconic Fisher Maiden, in an abstract way, rises up by holding a pearl in her hands, just like a rising sun, which implicates the bright future of Zhuhai.

"The city logo is not only a symbol for people to get to know a city, but can also help unfold the city's charm and cultural backgrounds," Lang said.

Together with Shenzhen and Shantou in Guangdong province and Xiamen in neighboring Fujian province, Zhuhai was designated as one of China's first group of special economic zones in 1980. It has become the forerunner of reform and opening-up.

"Zhuhai is a beautiful city and now is welcoming new development opportunities," Lang said. "The oceanic culture will provide a strong engine to power the city's fast growth while new migrants will bring vitality to the city," he noted.

Zhuhai's new logo unveiled on Aug 25. [Photo provided to China Daily]    

City video: a new trial

On the same day, the city launched a new promotional video. It lasts more than eight minutes and tells the story of a foreign documentary producer in Zhuhai.

"We gave up the traditional way of shooting a promotional video, composed of frames and narrations. Instead, we told a story and tried to make it unique," said Xing Chuan, the video director.

He added that the occupation of the hero took time to decide. "Since Zhuhai has been on the fast development track, we need an observer with an overarching view in the video and finally picked the role of documentary producer."

It also makes sense against the background that Zhuhai is drawing attention from the global community with the mega bridge and the development of the Bay Area, Xing said.

Through the eyes of the foreign documentary producer and his interaction with the city, the video depicts the landmark buildings of Zhuhai, including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Gongbei checkpoint that connects Zhuhai with Macao and Zhuhai Opera House.

Scenes with local characteristics are also featured. They include a mangrove forest, Chinese cypress forest, a folk dance that imitates the cranes in Sanzao town and a wedding ceremony aboard boats in Doumen district.

Some reputed events in Zhuhai, such as the biennial Airshow China, the China International Circus Festival and an international beach music festival, are also included.

The promotion video aims to showcase the city's profound culture, excellent natural environment, unprecedented opportunities and bright future in which people are full of anticipation, according to the production team.

Patrick Nijs, co-founder of the EU-China Joint Innovation Center, spoke highly of the new logo and city video.

Dialogue that Zhuhai seeks with global communities can make the city better understood, which is good for both Zhuhai and the Bay Area, Nijs said.

He said the Bay Area has been a window to China, showcasing reform and opening-up achievements. It serves as a tool to deepen cooperation and exchanges between China and the rest of the world. Zhuhai can take the chance to stage its unique advantages, he noted.

Geoffrey Mark Broom, a British director, said the city video was interesting and conducive to global promotion.

Besides economy, technology and international influence, a city's promotion, brand building and positioning have been more important to its global competitiveness, Broom said.

He encouraged Zhuhai to discover and showcase its characteristics that distinguish itself from other cities.