What happens when ancient embroidery stitches meet AI-powered design tools? 🤖🎨 Suzhou’s cultural heartbeat took center stage as global youth leaders and creatives gathered to reimagine APEC 2025’s theme of "connection, innovation, and shared prosperity."
CGTN’s Merna Al Nasser led a dynamic panel through lantern-lit streets and silk workshops, where Suzhou embroidery artist Zhang Xue demonstrated how her 1,500-year-old craft now inspires sustainable fashion startups. 💡 "My needle threads the past to tomorrow’s entrepreneurs," Zhang told the group, her gold-threaded peonies shimmering under smartphone lights.
The conversation heated up at a riverside tea house ☕️ with Russia’s Konstantin Shepin highlighting youth-driven tech collaborations: "APEC isn’t just trade charts – it’s TikTok creators in Jakarta teaming up with VR developers in Chile." Brazil’s Eric Napoli countered with a call for cultural guardianship: "Innovation without roots is just noise. Our challenge? Make heritage go viral."
From Arabic calligraphy NFTs to AI-preserved folk songs, the ideas flowed faster than poured oolong. As China Arab TV’s Asma Derouiche noted: "We’re not just attendees – we’re architects. APEC 2025 will be built with our emojis and business plans." 💼🚀
One thing’s clear: The future of cross-Pacific cooperation is being threaded – stitch by digital stitch – by a generation that codes as easily as they brew tea.
