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The first metaverse cultural laboratory in China has been officially established, empowering the flourishing development of the metaverse

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, the Metaverse Culture Laboratory, hereinafter referred to as the Metaverse Culture Laboratory, was officially established on April 16th. Xiang Botao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University, Hu Yu, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Journalism and Communication of Tsinghua University, and Tong Zhilei, Chairman and President of China Online Group, attended the event. The unveiling ceremony was hosted by robots and virtual anchors, adding on-site metaverse attributes.

Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University, Xiang Botao, and Chairman and President of China Online Group, Tong Zhilei, jointly unveiled the plaque for the Metaverse Culture Laboratory.

Unveiling ceremony

Vice Secretary of the Party Committee of Tsinghua University, Xiang Botao (left), and Chairman and President of Chinese Online Group, Tong Zhilei (right)

Professor Hu Yu, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University and Director of the Management Committee of the Metaverse Culture Laboratory, congratulated the establishment of the laboratory. He hoped that the jointly established laboratory would leverage the advantages of both the school and enterprise in scientific research, technology, talent, and industry, explore deep-seated issues, and form leading ideas. Professor Zhu Xufeng, Executive Dean of the School of Public Administration at Tsinghua University, delivered a speech at the venue, expressing deep concern for the development and governance of the metaverse, and hoping that the laboratory will become an effective platform for cross-border research in the field of metaverse. Professor Jin Jianbin, Director of the Academic Committee of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, gave a speech, stating that the establishment of the laboratory has a positive significance in promoting the development of the discipline of journalism and communication. He hopes that the laboratory will integrate multiple disciplinary forces to conduct in-depth research on the development, risks, and challenges of the metaverse.

The Metaverse Culture Laboratory of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University is supported and constructed by Chinese Online. The research is conducted by integrating the research forces of various schools within Tsinghua University. In the future, the laboratory will conduct research in the fields of future media technology development, metaverse cultural and creative industries, metaverse index, virtual digital human index, and other metaverse fields through a combination of industry, academia, and research. The aim is to build the laboratory into a forward-looking, theoretical, and innovative metaverse research institution in the domestic industry.

Professor Shenyang, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University and director of the Metaverse Culture Laboratory, stated that the Metaverse Culture Laboratory is not only one of the earliest metaverse laboratories established by domestic universities, but also the first metaverse laboratory with cultural attributes in China. We are confident in promoting the Metaverse Culture Laboratory to world-class status.

It is reported that the team led by Professor Shenyang from the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University has made groundbreaking academic contributions in the field of metaverse. They have released the world's first research report on the development of metaverse, with over ten million readers. Currently, they have formed three metaverse research groups: space intelligence, symbiotic intelligence, and contract intelligence. They have won more than twenty awards in AI global and national competitions in the past three years, and are also one of the few teams that can simultaneously conduct research on the combination of virtual humans and highly humanoid robots.

Tong Zhilei, Chairman and President of China Online Group and Co Director of the Management Committee of the Metaverse Culture Laboratory at Tsinghua Journalism School, stated that China Online will continue to fully embrace the metaverse and collaborate with Tsinghua University to promote continuous innovation in the field of metaverse content, bringing more perspectives and inspiration to the development of China's digital economy.

With a platform advantage of 5 million digital content resources, 4.3 million original resident writers, and over 600 contracted copyright organizations, Chinese Online, which has fully entered the metaverse, is becoming one of the most important players in the domestic metaverse field. Since last year, Chinese Online has accelerated its layout in the metaverse field, establishing metaverse landing companies in Hangzhou and Hainan respectively, and developing technologies and application scenarios based on content IP fields such as digital virtual humans and virtual real integration. At the same time, it has also built an alliance chain ecosystem based on Chang'an Chain and developed a blockchain certification platform. The first Global Metaverse Essay Contest organized recently received over 10000 submissions, sparking a wave of metaverse content incubation in the industry.

Industry insiders believe that the establishment of the Metaverse Culture Laboratory will further connect the entire value chain of technological achievements operation, provide content support and reference for accelerating industrial layout, and ultimately empower the vigorous development of emerging industries in the Metaverse.