Recently, a cultural and public welfare event titled "Light and Shadow Build Dreams, Charity Walks Together" was held at the Baoshan District Cultural Center. The event, part of the "Ala Charity Cinema" initiative, transformed the intense summer heat into a refreshing stream of light and shadow, touching the hearts of local residents.
A New Experience for the People: The Integration of Culture, Tourism, Commerce, Sports, and Exhibitions
“This cultural center is right at my doorstep, and I never expected to see so many movies I love here!” said Auntie Zhang from Yanghang with delight. Originally visiting the venue to view an art exhibition, she was captivated by a light-and-shadow wall in the center of the exhibition hall.
Staff members introduced her to the charity film schedule and event locations. On the light wall, vintage movie posters blended beautifully with dynamic maps under warm lighting, complementing the glowing light trails on the walls.
At the event site, three key segments unfolded like scenes from a movie script:
First, the Cultural, Tourism, and Broadcasting Bureau of Baoshan District signed a cooperation agreement with the School of Shanghai Film Art at Shanghai University, bringing strong professional support to the project.
Next came the "Watering Ceremony", where colorful floral arrangements gradually bloomed as guests poured in water symbolizing their care and support — a vivid metaphor for the thriving growth of public welfare through collective efforts. Finally, the opening ceremony marked the beginning of a new chapter — one that opens the door to cinematic dreams and heartfelt charity.
"Ala Charity Cinema" is the first public cultural delivery brand project created by the Baoshan District Cultural Center in Shanghai. Leveraging various cultural resources from Baoshan's culture, tourism, and related sectors — including performances, exhibitions, tourism activities, training sessions, guided appreciations, and intangible cultural heritage programs — it creates a new and distinctive integrated experience that combines culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions.
Starting from March 2025, the Cultural Center screens charity films on a weekly basis. During festivals and holidays, it also carefully organizes a series of joyful, engaging, and heartwarming screening events, extending the cultural experience from the silver screen into everyday life.
A New Transmission of Faith: Casting the Original Aspiration through Party Building and Light & Shadow
The "Ala Charity Cinema" project is built upon the core concepts of "red heritage, cultural sharing, and service for the people". It creatively establishes a unique three-in-one screening system that integrates Party building, public welfare, and culture. The "Light & Shadow Party Lessons" series combines classic films such as The Founding of a Party with guided interpretations of local red historical sites in Baoshan, allowing audiences to feel the warmth of history through film. The "Industrial Film Festival" series uses industrial-themed films like The Railway Guerrillas as a narrative thread, reviving the historical memories of Baoshan’s former industrial base. The "Intangible Heritage on Screen" series invites paper-cutting artists to create red-themed intangible cultural heritage works inspired by film scenes. This model — which weaves Party-building elements into cultural experiences and promotes values through public welfare — serves as a metaphorical ray of light from a film projector cutting through darkness. It enables the creative transformation and vivid inheritance of the “red gene” through the interplay of light and shadow.
From "Rural Charity Cinema" to "Ala Charity Cinema," the Baoshan District Cultural Center has been continuously exploring innovative models for cultural services that benefit the people. As a relevant official from the District's Bureau of Culture, Tourism, and Broadcasting remarked at the event site: "It not only carries forward the cultural legacy of Shanghai as the birthplace of Chinese cinema, but also revitalizes Baoshan’s culture and tourism through innovative scene creation."
In the future, Baoshan District will continue to explore innovative paths in public cultural services based on this project. Through digital upgrades and technological empowerment, the district aims to integrate light-and-shadow culture more vividly into the urban fabric. By expanding the mobile service network, the warmth of charity film screenings will reach even more communities and corners. Moreover, Baoshan will establish a cultural co-creation mechanism that encourages full public participation, enabling citizens of all ages and professions to become both disseminators and creators of light-and-shadow culture. This deep practice of culture-serving-the-people reflects the transformation of the "People's City" philosophy into tangible, perceptible cultural scenes. The beam of charity cinema will not only illuminate the silver screen, but also serve as a cultural lighthouse lighting up the spiritual world of the people — infusing grassroots vitality filled with the aroma of daily life into Shanghai’s journey toward becoming an international cultural metropolis.
