This time, we turn to the City. Also this year, City 2.0 has been nominated as TED Prize. We have been trying to define and identify the meaning of it. Like Web 2.0, the essence of City 2.0 lies in “User-Generated” and “Radical Interaction”. We embody the belief that individual action can bring collective and colossal change. This is a chapter we defy conventional wisdom, shine light on human dignity, and profile our culture with self-conscious engagement from the bottom up.

On Oct.13th, 2012, 2:00pm, at UCCA of 798 Art Zone, Beijing, TEDxFactory798 will invite thinkers, doers, and storytellers from various fields, to narrate and weave their dreams about city2.0 together.

Session 1: The Connector

History emerges only in retrospect, and it all started from connection- It connects scattered dots to tell a beautiful story, connects different individuals to construct an inclusive platform. Meanwhile, we can be the platform on our own. Become the one who shares, assemble a physical or virtual space, invent new tools to outreach boundaries of our senses and emotions, and extend our visions towards the creative and unconventional. We are The Connectors who spread ideas and inspire actions.

Speakers for session 1:

Dirk Eschenbacher (creative director of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific area, co-founder of Yugong Yishan, co-founder of Zanadu)
Cui Qiao(deputy director of Ullens Center for Contemporary Art)
Zhang Hongxun (first to introduce “Opening Coaching” in China, previous director of “Oriental Horizon”, “News Probe”, and “Dialogue”)

Session 2: Design and Rebuild

With the city in memories decaying exponentially and showcasing vulnerabilities, we are introducing new design and concepts to reconfigure its equilibrium. We restructure the city pattern, we shape the urban outlook, and we draw the big picture of its aspiration. Meanwhile, we are also building up its culture and inspiring its soul. WeDesign and Rebuild a place our reasons can be empowered and emotions can be internalized.

Speakers for session 2:

Chen Qiufan(science fiction writer)

Che Wu (expert in water environment protection and rehabilitation, professor of Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture)

Session 3: Co-Living

We start to dissent basic functions of the city, we narrate its imbalance between prosperity and scarcity, but we are by no means despaired. The Future is now. We’ve been appreciating aesthetics and cultivating citizenship. We stay in awe of nature and embrace it into our lives. Together we are re-imagining the future. We rediscover our nostalgia in the city, in which we are Co-Living.

Speakers for session 3:

Jiang Shutao(Advertiser, founder of IF City project)

Dai Haifei(architect, owner of “Egg House”)

Chang Tianle (manager of Beijing County Fair)

Cui Qiao (deputy director of Ullens Center for Contemporary Art)

Dirk Eschenbacher (creative director of Ogilvy Asia-Pacific area, co-founder of Yugong Yishan, co-founder of Zanadu)

Zhang Hongxun (first to introduce “Opening Coaching” in China, previous director of “Oriental Horizon”, “News Probe”, and “Dialogue”)

Chen Qiufan (science fiction writer)

Zhang Hu (experienced engineer and PH.D dedicated to aviation jet fuel filter technology and equipment)

Che Wu (expert in water environment protection and rehabilitation, professor of Beijing Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture)

Jiang Shutao (Advertiser, founder of IF City project)

Dai Haifei (architect, owner of “Egg House”)

Chang Tianle (manager of Beijing County Fair)

About TED

TED is a cross-disciplinary think tank, a platform for dialogue, and a stage for realizing ideas. As an annual innovation festival, TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design. TED was founded by Richard Wurman in California in 1984, and it was originally a brain spa among friends from different fields. They are architects, scientists, educators, poets, drama writers, entrepreneurs and designers, etc, passionate about the future and at some point disobedient, discussing the newest and coolest ideas, as well as how to change the world together. The uniqueness of TED lies in the magic of "storytelling". Each speaker has 18 minutes to narrate his/her story, and it starts the moment he/she is on stage. In 2002, TED was bought by Media Guru Chris Anderson. Before that, Chris founded Business 2.0, and deeply trusted in the power of web 2.0. He incorporated TED into his non-profit organization Sapling Foundation, and then started to put past talks on TED.com, making it widely watched by the world. With the power of social media, there comes out continuous long tail effect. For the past 27 years, TED has been covering a full spectrum of topics. Except Technology, Entertainment and Design, there are discussions about environment, global issues, Africa, startups, etc. TED Speakers include Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Jane Goodall, Al Gore, Bono and so on.

About TEDxFactory798

TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience, in the spirit of ideas worth spreading, where x=independently organized TED event. "Factory 798", also known as 798 Art Zone in North-East Beijing, is the largest and most influential art district in China that houses a thriving artist community and hosts world-class international and Chinese exhibits. It is where the event host UCCA is located. However, "Factory 798" stands far more than a place name. "Factory" being the core originator and catalyst of the modern world stands for growth, innovation and change. The three digit number "798" symbolizes the country's cutting edge art movement led by a new generation of change makers. "Factory 798" has been embracing the most original ideas in the burgeoning country.