By Yang Yulai, SFC, 21st Century Business Herald

On January 23, 2026, Southern Publishing & Media Co., Ltd. launched the global investment promotion conference of "Beyond the Core· Survey the Future – Guangzhou International Cultural Center (GICC)".

Invested in and constructed by Southern Publishing & Media, the GICC stands 320 meters tall, with a total area of approximately 162,000 square meters and a total investment of about 4.56 billion yuan. It is committed to becoming "a benchmark of Guangzhou's urban humanism, a highland of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's creative industries, and an international cultural ecological hub", so as to promote the high-quality development of the cultural industry in the Greater Bay Area. 

The GICC building is led by the world-renowned architectural design firm FGP. Its design concept draws inspiration from the "Mountain of Books" in traditional Chinese culture.

The 51.5-meter-high "mountain-shaped" ground floor lobby forms a ceremonial urban entrance; the 41.5-meter-high top lobby and multi-layer setback spaces transform the Chinese proverb "There is no royal road to learning" into a tangible and usable spatial experience through the "gabled double eaves" and stepped layout.

As the chief designer of GICC, the world-famous architect Francisco González Pulido attended the investment promotion conference. He stated that knowledge is a peak for humanity to climb – this is the conceptual starting point of his design for GICC. "I hope the Guangzhou International Cultural Center can not only reflect Guangzhou's profound cultural heritage, but also embody the vitality and momentum of this city."