People wait for the opening at the Canton Fair Complex on on April 15, 2017. [Photo: Xinhua/Li Qingzhao]

The 121st Canton Fair kicked off in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, on Saturday April 15, 2017. The fair is scheduled to take place from Sunday through May 5, in three phases.

Its exhibition area measures 1.18 million square meters, featuring more than 60,000 booths and nearly 25,000 domestic and foreign companies. The import exhibition zone has attracted 364 companies from countries along the Belt and Road, or 58.7 percent of those present in the section.

The Canton Fair is held every spring and autumn and is seen as a barometer of the country's foreign trade.