Peter Zec, founder and president of the Red Dot Award, an international design prize based in Germany, delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of an international design week during the cultural fair in Xiamen.[Photo by Hu Meidong/China Daily]

The creative industry is the mainstream of the Cross-Straits (Xiamen) Cultural Industries Fair held from Oct 30 to Nov 2 in Xiamen, Fujian province.

A highlight of the event is a symposium for about 500 companies involved in the sector. Most of them are companies with huge potential from both sides of the Straits.

A design competition for young artists from Europe and Asia will also be held during this year's fair.

Young artists from China, Thailand, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria signed up for the competition.

It will be a chance for young talents to exchange ideas and draw inspiration from each other.

A plaza for experienced handicraft artists from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe and Africa has been set up for them to showcase their handmade products.

A high-end forum for artwork collectors will also be held on the sidelines of the fair.

A large number of well-known collectors are expected to discuss the latest trends of the collection market and art industry.

A cross-Straits tea table design competition has drawn many tea lovers. People will also have the chance to watch artists performing tea ceremonies, thus gaining a better understanding of the charm of tea culture.

For gaming fans, a mobile game convention will bring them leading designers and operators of popular mobile games from Taiwan and the mainland.

Movie lovers will also have the opportunity to meet more than 70 directors from both sides of the Straits and watch films directed by them.

A cross-Straits copyright trading center will be unveiled during the fair. The center, based in Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian province, will provide a platform for cross-Straits copyright exchanges and trade.