Chinese Import and Export Commodities Fair, also known as Canton Fair, is held twice a year in Spring and Autumn since it was inaugurated in the Spring of 1957. It is China's largest trade fair of the highest level, of the most complete varieties and of the largest attendance and business turnover, and one of the largest in the world. The Fair leans to export trade, though import business is also done here.

As an important window, Canton Fair has played a vital role in promoting the country's trade with the outside world, and is growing steadily along with China's reform and opening-up which has brought "earth-shaking" changes to the nation.

The old Liuhua complex

The Guangzhou Convention and Exhibition Centre was first used as a supplementary exhibition hall in 2003, for the 94th session of the CECF. The Centre is located at Xingang East Road in Guangzhou.

30 years ago when China first initiated its reform and opening-up, the fair only had an exhibition area of 130,000 square meters, and attracted 18,000 buyers with a transaction volume of $1.88 billion. Today, the 103rd session witnessed 192,000 foreign buyers, bringing in an export volume of $38.23 billion.

With the full use of the new complex, Canton Fair is expanding its exhibition area to 1.131 million square meters, brining in more chances to exhibitors and foreign buyers.

With improved management and service for the perfect hardware, the fair will become a foreign trade platform with improved mechanism, more scientifi c management, more outstanding effect and greater influence.

In 1957, the first sessions of CECF was held in the Sino- Soviet Friendship Building located in the north suburb of Guangzhou. The exhibition space was 18,000 square meters at that time.

In the spring of 1974, the 35th CECF was moved for the third time to the site in Liuhua Road, and the space was further increased to 115,000 square meters.

Editor: Yan