Although UNESCO official Georges Poussin had learned about Shenzhen when receiving the city’s application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network last year, he had never seen the place with his own eyes.

The Shenzhen Daily interviewed Poussin about his impressions of the city and what role it would play in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network when he wrapped up his weeklong visit yesterday.

Q: You learned about Shenzhen from its application to the UNESCO Creative Cities Network. Now that you’ve seen the city, is it the same as you expected？

A: The city is exactly what we expected. It’s exactly what we considered with the application. There are big commitments to working with other cities and working out more and more designs in the city.

Q: What are Shenzhen’s strengths and weaknesses as a creative city？

Shenzhen has chosen design as its domain, which is perfect. Shenzhen can cooperate with cities on the design sub-network, as well as with cities on other sub-networks.

Q: What role can Shenzhen play in the Creative Cities Network？

A: It can take a leading role. A city can be a leader in an activity. For the next year, Shenzhen is in a leading position.

Q: What advantage does Shenzhen have in developing the cultural industry？

A: Shenzhen has a great advantage in the high-tech area. High-tech is very important for the creative sector.