On November 29, the West Lake was brimmed with Song Dynasty culture. On the lakeside pedestrian street, the award ceremony and exhibition of the 2023 "Mengxi Cup" Innovation Competition of Song Dynasty Culture were held simultaneously. Works inspired by Song culture attracted an endless stream of visitors. 

Song culture is an important cultural identity with Chinese style and Zhejiang characteristics. To better promote the Song culture, it is important to unleash the historical meaning and of Song culture and its current value, and revitalize the thousand-year-long culture in modern times. 

The "Mengxi Cup" Innovation Competition of Song Dynasty Culture is a competition aiming for innovative transformation of Song culture. This year is the second time the event was held. It features three competition units – Song Style, Song Items and Song Creation. The unit of Song Style calls for short videos, films and TV dramas about Song Dynasty. The unit of Song Item features culture-inspired derivatives and souvenir gifts. The unit of Song Creation calls for design schemes for blocks and landscapes. 

The competition received 6,496 sets of entries from 15 countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Japan. More than 1,000 social organizations and businesses and 270 universities and research institutions made contributions. Three entries claimed gold medals, 11 won silver medals, 18 got bronze medals, and 10 received the masterpiece award. Ten entries were elected most popular works by the general public. 

Shangcheng District launched a gene pool of Song culture at the event, providing fodders for Song culture-based innovation. "The gene pool represents a visual integration of Song culture and images, and makes expressions based on patterns. It provides not only important documents for historical inheritance and development, but also an important source for cultural creation and learning," said Wu Lejian, head of the industrial development division of the Cultural Creation Industry Development Center of Shangcheng District. Wu said the gene pool provides important fodder and resources for inheriting and promoting Song culture, as well as inspiration for modern design, which in turn promotes cultural exchanges and inheritance. 

Notably, award-winning works are displayed in the City Balcony, Hangzhou East Station and Lakeside Pedestrian, three locations for "Today's Splendor of Song Culture" cultural creation demonstration center in Shangcheng District. The district also authorized the trading of Song IPs, and launched an online cultural creation demonstration center of "Today's Splendor of Song Culture" so that the general public can share the latest achievements in innovative transformation of the Song culture.