en agosto 21, the strategic cooperation signing ceremony between the Guangdong Homestay Industry Association and Guangdong Gongmei Digital Culture Co., Limitado., together with the launch of the “Lingnan Craftsmanship” cultural IP, was held at the PITO Reception Hall.
The event was jointly hosted by Guangdong Gongmei Digital Culture Co., Limitado., the Guangdong Homestay Industry Association, y el “Lingnan Craftsmanship” program of Guangdong Radio and Television’s Mobile Channel, with PITO as a special supporting partner. Representatives from the homestay, cultural and creative, diseño, and related industries gathered to discuss the preservation and contemporary expression of Lingnan culture, the development of the homestay industry, and new ways to connect cultural IP with hospitality spaces.
The event marked not only the first official launch of the “Lingnan Craftsmanship” IP, but also a further step toward collaboration between Guangdong’s homestay industry and the cultural and creative sectors.
Strategic Cooperation to Bring Lingnan Culture into Homestay Experiences
As cultural tourism continues to evolve, homestays are moving beyond their basic accommodation function and placing greater emphasis on spatial experience, local identity, and cultural expression.
For Lingnan, a region rich in history and cultural heritage, this transformation creates new opportunities to bring local culture into contemporary hospitality settings.
The event featured remarks from Xiao Jinghua, Vice President and Secretary of the Guangdong Homestay Industry Association; Lü Yong, General Manager of Guangdong Gongmei Digital Culture Co., Limitado.; and Chen Yixian, General Manager of Shenzhen Yidao Network Technology Co., Limitado. and Business Director of “Lingnan Craftsmanship.” They shared their perspectives on rural revitalization, cultural tourism development, high-quality growth in the homestay sector, and the integration of cultural and creative IP with hospitality.
Witnessed by the attending guests, the Guangdong Homestay Industry Association and Guangdong Gongmei Digital Culture Co., Limitado. officially signed a strategic cooperation agreement.
The two sides will build on Lingnan’s local cultural resources to further promote collaboration between intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative IP, and homestay spaces. The initiative aims to explore new ways for traditional culture to enter contemporary tourism environments while creating new opportunities for the development of Guangdong’s homestay industry.
The “Lingnan Craftsmanship” IP Makes Its Debut
Another major highlight of the event was the official launch of the two mascots of the “Lingnan Craftsmanship” program: Aotou Xiaojiang y Red Cotton Xiaoyi.
As a provincial-level cultural documentary program in Guangdong focusing on Lingnan craftsmanship, “Lingnan Craftsmanship” has long been dedicated to showcasing traditional skills, patrimonio cultural inmaterial, and the stories of local artisans.
The launch of the official IP represents a new approach to communicating Lingnan culture. Through more contemporary and visually engaging IP characters, traditional culture and the spirit of craftsmanship can reach broader audiences and connect with new generations.
An IP award ceremony was also held during the event. Wu Zhirong was named Chief Artist of the Official Mascot IP, while Wu Yue received the Official Mascot IP Finalist Award. The two designers also shared the creative concepts behind the characters, offering insights into how Lingnan culture can be translated into contemporary visual language.
From documentary storytelling to IP design, the launch adds a new dimension to the way “Lingnan Craftsmanship” communicates regional culture and creates new possibilities for connecting cultural content with real-world applications.
From Cultural IP to Hospitality Spaces
Another key focus of the event was how cultural content can be translated into tangible experiences within homestays.
For today’s hospitality spaces, culture does not have to be limited to wall decorations or written introductions. Architecture, objects, dining, cultural products, and interactive experiences can all become part of how a property communicates its local identity.
This means that collaboration between cultural IP and homestays needs to go beyond visual presentation and extend into spaces, products, and guest experiences.
Ceramics and other traditional crafts, En particular, can provide a direct way for culture to become part of everyday use.
As a special supporting partner of the event, ARRIBA also shared its exploration of the connection between ceramics, homestays, and cultural heritage.
ARRIBA: Using Ceramics to Connect Culture and Space
Rooted in Chaozhou, PITO has been deeply engaged in the ceramics industry for decades. Chaozhou blue-and-white porcelain is an important part of Lingnan’s ceramic heritage and remains one of the cultural resources that PITO continues to preserve and explore.
En el evento, Lin Xiaoqin, Assistant General Manager of PITO, shared the brand’s experience in connecting Chaozhou ceramic culture with homestay and cultural tourism spaces.
For homestay projects, ceramics can serve not only as everyday tableware, but also as part of interior styling, cultural products, y experiencias culturales.
PITO has a product library of more than 10,000 ceramic forms and supports customization across ceramic shapes, patrones, and logos. By incorporating traditional cultural elements such as blue-and-white porcelain into contemporary ceramic design, regional culture can become part of the everyday experience of a hospitality space in a more natural way.
PITO also provides products across multiple categories, including ceramics, cristalería, and textiles, supporting hospitality projects with coordinated solutions from design through implementation.
Para PITO, participating in this initiative is not simply about showcasing products. It is an opportunity to use the homestay sector, where culture and everyday life naturally intersect, as a setting for exploring new applications of traditional ceramic craftsmanship.
Roundtable Discussion: Creating Two-Way Value Between Homestays and Cultural IP
The event concluded with a roundtable discussion themed “Breaking New Ground Through Craftsmanship: Innovative Integration of the Homestay Industry and Cultural & Creative IP.”
Homestay operators, spatial designers, and cultural and creative professionals discussed how Lingnan culture can be brought into homestay environments, how homestays and cultural IP can create value for each other, and what new opportunities may emerge from the integration of hospitality and culture.
Rather than focusing solely on cultural communication, the discussion moved further into practical industry applications: How can cultural IP connect with physical spaces? How can traditional culture create new consumer experiences? And how can homestays use cultural content to build a distinctive identity?
The participants agreed that as cultural tourism consumption continues to evolve, expectations for homestays are no longer limited to accommodation. Authentic cultural experiences and a strong sense of place are increasingly important elements of a hospitality space’s appeal.
Deeper collaboration between intangible cultural heritage, cultural and creative IP, and the homestay industry could create new consumer experiences and business models, while opening up new opportunities for the development of Lingnan’s homestay sector.
Bringing Traditional Culture into Contemporary Experiences
From the strategic cooperation agreement and the launch of the “Lingnan Craftsmanship” IP to the industry discussions around cultural and creative integration, the event was ultimately about more than the launch of a new IP.
It explored how Lingnan culture can find more opportunities to enter contemporary industries and everyday life.
When intangible cultural heritage becomes part of a physical space, when craftsmanship gains new forms of expression through IP, and when traditional crafts become part of everyday objects, culture gains more ways to connect with contemporary audiences.
The event provided a new starting point for collaboration among the homestay, cultural and creative, diseño, and traditional craftsmanship sectors.
As a special supporting partner, PITO will continue to draw on Chaozhou’s ceramic heritage and explore new connections between traditional ceramics, modern hospitality, cultural tourism spaces, and creative industries — allowing ceramics to serve not only the dining table, but also as a medium connecting cultural heritage with contemporary life.
Nueva era
Nuevo patrón
Nuevas oportunidades
En el futuro, dejar"s moverse hacia adelante de la mano!
