An Italian exhibitor introduces her handmade bags at the 13th Hangzhou Cultural & Creative Industry Expo in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Sept 19. [Photo/IC]

With over 2,000 Chinese and foreign institutions, the event will also include another 23 forums and matchmaking activities in addition to the cultural exhibition.

According to official statistics, Hangzhou ranks fourth in China's digital content industry, closely following Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

In 2018, the added value of Hangzhou's cultural industry totaled 180.9 billion yuan ($25.47 billion), up 12.9 percent year-on-year and accounting for 13.4 percent of the regional GDP.

CCIE, now in its 13th year, has become one of the four major expos in China's cultural and creative industry and a trademark for Hangzhou.