The Minhang Culture and Maker Festival kicked off yesterday with a flash mob at the Aegean Shopping Mall singing “My Country and I.”

The festival, to last until October 20, features a variety of events promoting shopping and local creative culture.

One of the main events will be a party at ashopping mall in the suburban district at the weekend. A total of 19 local organizations and companies will bring along their cultural products to the festival.

People can try out traditional Chinese musical instruments or watch a projection of a kungfu show where all characters seem alive and within reach. They can also have some fun with an AIdroid from local startup Whales Bot. The droid is like a little Transformer in that it can turn itself from a bug-looking bot to a T-rex crusher.

According to the district authority, the gross value of production generated by the cultural industry last year was 25.1 billion yuan (US$3.54 billion), 10 percent more than in 2017.

Minhang was once the powerhouse of Shanghai’s heavy industry, with the city’s electric machinery, turbine, boiler and TV factories all in the district.