Old admission passes, invitations and commemorative gifts may seem like small objects, but for Xie Boheng, they hold decades of memories of the Canton Fair.
The president of Canada Xinhua Food Co. Ltd. first visited the fair as a student on a graduation trip before returning as a buyer in 1959. Over the years, he kept items that trace the fair's evolution, from early visitor badges and photo ID cards to a commemorative gift presented to buyers at its 100th session.
These keepsakes also bring back memories of the fair's changing venues. Xie recalls the early days near Haizhu Bridge and the years at the Guangzhou New Fa Exhibition Center, where he watched the surrounding farmland give way to a major exhibition centre. The fair later moved to its current home in Pazhou in 2008.
As the Canton Fair reaches its 140th session, Xie's collection offers a personal record of its journey across generations. For him, the transformation of the fair reflects the remarkable pace of China's development, a story he has witnessed firsthand through the objects he kept.
Reporter: Zeng Xiangxing
Photos: Zeng Xiangxing
Script: Zeng Xiangxing
Poster: Lai Meiya
