SXSW, Chinasearch for 'weird' connection

SXSW and its host city Austin, Texas, welcome China to participate more in what they see as the city's risk-taking or "weird" approach to technology and innovation.

The concept was greeted enthusiastically by both Chinese and American participants at SXSW, a 10-day event (March 8-17) combining conferences on topics such as emerging technologies, film and music from the US and around the world.

At a discussion organized by China Gathering during SXSW (South by Southwest), two Chinese influencers – technology investor Wang Yuguan and business observer Wu Sheng — held a conversation on China, the United States and Austin with David Firestein, a former US diplomat and executive director of the China Public Policy Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Firestein proposed organizing a US-China municipal summit on "weird" to look at what it can do for both countries and to help move the bilateral relationship forward.

"Let's talk about what 'weird' means in the context of economic development, brand identity of the city, bringing people to the city, job creation and hinging on unique niches in the innovative economy of the 21st century. There is no [better] place to launch such a great initiative than in Austin," Firestein said.

"Weird will be the new norm," Wu said. "We are entering the personalized digital era, the new religion is data religion that we have to adapt to. It doesn't follow rules; it's disruptive. We sometimes translate weird as a 'model of innovation'."

The weird" conversationwas sparked by Austin Mayor Steve Adler. Welcoming the Chinese participants to SXSW, Alder explained what it means to "Keep Austin Weird" – the catch phrase Austin uses to brand itself.

"In our city, there is great license and encouragement to take risks," Adler said. "We encourage people to try things; we don't punish people or think badly of them if they fail in their trying.

"If someone tries something and it might not work out the first time, they continue to work at it. They innovate and they change until they have an idea, technology, platform or a product that then is incredibly successful. Those are the civic heroes in the city," Adler said, adding that the approach makes Austin the top city in the country for startups and innovation.

Wang said was impressed by the energy and creativity at SXSW and plans to attech each year.

"This is the first year we came to SXSW, and this presentation is very traditional. But we will change. We want to combine our knowledge of China with the spirit of weird. We will create our brand name starting here; let's have evolution going from here. Let's see what will happen in five years," Wang said.

Wang said he has been bringing Chinese companies to CES for more than a decade. China's presence at CES has grown from a small booth to one of prominence. He now would like to make China big at SXSW in the future.

Wang is not the only Chinese first-timer captivated by SXSW.

Liu Hongmei, director of the musical department at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, submitted her musical film Family to the SXSW Film Festival. Although it wasn't selected, Liu expressed a sense of wonder at SXSW.

"By coming here I discovered that the scope of the SXSW Film Festival is beyond what I expected. It is such a great platform to promote our films to the world. I will definitely share my experience and knowledge of SXSW with my peers. China needsto come to SXSW," Liu said.