3 Days Until Border Closure! China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Art Industry Development Matchmaking Conference Successfully Held

On December 15, 2025, at a crucial juncture with three days remaining until the full island-wide customs closure operation of the Hainan Free Trade Port, in order to gather industry resources and jointly discuss the grand plan for industrial development after the Hainan Free Trade Port's customs closure, "Sharing Opportunities Ahead of Border Closure—China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Art Industry Development Matchmaking Conference" was successfully held in Sanya. It attracted over 80 industry experts and representatives from leading companies, and achieved fruitful results. The Sanya Central Business District Administration signed agreements with 10 authoritative associations and leading enterprises, forming ecological partnerships for the cultural relics and art industry, injecting strong momentum into the development of the cultural industry in the free trade port. 

In his address, Chen Jiyang, Executive Deputy Director of the Publicity Department of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Hainan Provincial Film Bureau, cleverly linked the recently concluded Hainan Island International Film Festival with this matchmaking event, pointing out that the conference reflected the diverse cultural dimensions of the Hainan Free Trade Port construction. He emphasized that the island-wide customs closure presents a significant historical opportunity for the cultural relics and art industry. The China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center is not just a trading platform, but also a "new vessel" for promoting cultural exchange overseas and fostering mutual learning among civilizations. Its mission is to allow cultural relics and artworks to circulate more freely in the Hainan Free Trade Port, and to let the world experience the open and confident Hainan Free Trade Port through this window.

In his speech, Xiang Yihai, a member of the Standing Committee of the Sanya Municipal Party Committee and a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Sanya Municipal Government, elaborated on the significant meaning of the island-wide customs closure operation, pointing out that this is a landmark measure for China to expand high-level opening-up in the new era, signifying that Hainan will promote opening-up at a higher level, in a wider range of fields, and at a deeper level. He stated that, Sanya will leverage the China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center to build a globally influential platform for the circulation of cultural relics and artworks through institutional innovation, platform development, and deepened international cooperation. Sanya looks forward to working with partners to build an industrial ecosystem, create an open, standardized and vibrant market environment, and jointly promote the high-quality development of the cultural industry in Sanya and even Hainan, creating a new highland for the circulation of cultural relics and artworks that faces the whole country and radiates the world.

In his address, He Hui, Vice President of the China Association of Auctioneers, stated that the customs closure operation signifies the full transition of the Hainan Free Trade Port construction into "substantive operation", bringing historic opportunities for industrial development. He pointed out that, the association will focus on four key areas: policy recommendations, industry promotion, order maintenance, and international cooperation. They will guide outstanding member companies to settle in Hainan, assist in building a fair, transparent, and standardized market environment, and jointly contribute to the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port through culture and art.

During the policy interpretation session, the Department of Museums and Social Cultural Relics of the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports provided an in-depth explanation of the Hainan Provincial Measures for the Management of Cultural Relics. The Sanya Central Business District Administration further shared the policy benefits available to the cultural relics and art industry after the customs closure, including tax incentives during the Double 15 shopping festival, zero-tariff import policies, and support policies for the cultural tourism industry in Sanya City. This clarified the development path and implementation blueprint for enterprises to establish themselves in the Hainan Free Trade Port's cultural relics and art market.

During the signing ceremony, a series of key collaborations were reached, yielding fruitful results. The Sanya Central Business District Administration signed cooperation agreements with two national-level authoritative industry associations, the China Association of Auctioneers and the China Collectors Association, laying a solid foundation for industry development. It also established partnerships with leading auction houses including China Guardian, Huayi International, and Shanghai Hongsheng, strengthening its core market power. Furthermore, it reached industry ecosystem cooperation agreements with institutions such as China Cultural Media Group and Baoku Culture, jointly building a synergistic industrial ecosystem. In addition, the Sanya Central Business District Administration, together with Beijing International Design Week, Beijing Yiziyou Culture, and Hainan Ruozhuo Culture, officially launched the Sanya Contemporary Art Expo project. The unveiling ceremony of the "China Association of Auctioneers Hainan International Auction Demonstration Zone" marked a crucial step forward for Sanya in the institutionalization and internationalization of its cultural relics and art industry.

The roundtable forum was moderated by Liu Cong, Secretary-General of the Art Committee of the China Association of Auctioneers, and featured six industry experts: Liu Mingwei, Chairman of the China Collectors Association; Li Caijun, General Manager of Artron Culture Group; Li Hui, Vice Chairman and General Manager of National Cultural Industry Investment Management Co., Ltd.; Liu Ying, Vice President of China Guardian International Auction Co., Ltd.; and Bao Dong, Co-founder and Art Director of Beijing Contemporary Art Expo. They engaged in in-depth discussions on the theme of "Industrial Development Path of Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Centers under the Background of Hainan Free Trade Port". They also conducted in-depth dialogues on key issues such as policy opportunities, ecosystem construction, and international operations, jointly offering suggestions and building industry consensus for Sanya to become a globally oriented cultural relics and artworks trading hub.

That afternoon, the participating guests conducted a site visit to the Sanya Central Business District, touring the Sanya CBD Cultural Relics and Art Center. They received a detailed introduction from the center's director regarding its functional layout and industrial ecosystem planning, gaining an understanding of the progress of the entire industry chain layout. Afterwards, the guests visited Luhuitou Park, where from a hilltop platform they overlooked the China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center and the Hainan International Cultural Exchange Center, both under construction, learning about their spatial layout and functional synergy planning. Through this visit, the guests gained a direct understanding of Sanya's progress in building a cultural relics and art industry chain ecosystem based on the Free Trade Port policy, and highly praised its plan to create an international cultural trade platform. Several companies expressed their intention to cooperate on-site.

The successful hosting of this conference has further unleashed the industrial opportunities following the customs closure and strengthened the convergence effect of global cultural relics and art resources. In the future, the Sanya Central Business District will use this conference as a link to continuously improve its professional service level, perfect its industrial ecosystem, and fully support the China Hainan International Cultural Relics and Artworks Trading Center in fulfilling its core platform functions. This will accelerate Sanya's development into a new international hub for cultural relics and art transactions, injecting continuous momentum into the innovative development of the cultural industry in the Hainan Free Trade Port.

This conference was guided by the Hainan Provincial Department of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, the Sanya Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, and the Sanya Municipal People's Government, and hosted by the Sanya Central Business District Administration Bureau. It was supported by multiple organizations, including the China Association of Auctioneers, the China Collectors Association, the National Base for International Cultural Trade (Sanya), the Sanya Municipal Bureau of Tourism, Culture, Radio, Television and Sports, and the Sanya Business District Development Group Co., Ltd.