On late 31st of October 2017(Beijing Time), Changsha was authorized by UNESCO to join in Creative Cities Network as media arts city, the first of its kind in China.
Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) aims to strengthen cooperation with and among cities that have recognized creativity as a strategic factor of sustainable development as regards economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects. UCCN covers seven creative field: Media Arts, Music, Literature, Gastronomy, Film, Design, Crafts and Folk Art, attracting 180 cities of different countries as members. Currently, the member cities in China are as follows: three cities of design, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen; three cities of crafts and folk arts, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Jingdezhen; two cities of gastronomy, Chengdu and Shunde.
Six candidate cities compete for the membership of media arts city, including Toronto(Canada), Guadalajara(Mexico), Sharjah (The United Arab Emirates), Braga(Portugal), Kosice (The Slovak Republic) and Changsha(China).