Shanxi shows business opportunities at CIIE

The exhibition of Shanxi's culture is housed in a replica of piaohao during the fifth CIIE. [Photo by Sun Rongxiang for China Daily]

The North China province of Shanxi showcased its unique culture, recent development achievements and business opportunities at the fifth China International Import Expo, which was held in Shanghai from Nov 5-10.

One of the eye-catching sections of the Shanxi pavilion at the expo is the area displaying Shanxi's millennia-long culture and history.

Shanxi used to be one of the nation's hubs for opening-up several centuries ago, thanks to the international trade activities by its merchants.

About 600 years ago, Shanxi began to draw worldwide attention for its famed Shanxi merchants, or Jinshang. It is said the merchants dominated the business circles in North China for about five centuries during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Many of these successful merchants started out as small vendors of tea, silk and other goods, who traveled on horses or camels to regions as far as Russia.

Today, the Jinshang spirit of hard work, entrepreneurship and inclusiveness are still highly valued by the people of Shanxi and the rest of the country.

The Shanxi pavilion once again told their stories and advocated the spirit of Jinshang with exhibits and multimedia shows powered by such technologies as 3D, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.

A rich variety of items were on display, mostly tools related to travel, transactions and settlement, like abacuses, scales and ancient maps. The exhibits were housed in a replica of piaohao, which is said to be an early version of banks in China.

In addition to the culture of Jinshang, handicrafts produced with centuries-old techniques were exhibited, including hand-polished lacquerware from Pingyao, embroidery from Changzhi and fahua porcelain ware from Jincheng.

Also on display were time-honored companies that are dedicated to inheriting and protecting these ancient techniques, while contributing efforts to developing these sectors into the characteristic and lucrative industries in Shanxi.

These exhibitors included the Xinghuacun Fenjiu Group, an inheritor of Shanxi's centuries-old tradition in liquor making, producers of mature vinegar from Qingxu county and enterprises engaged in cultural tourism.

An exhibition called "The 10 Years in Shanxi" was dedicated to showcasing the province's development achievements in the past decade, its investment opportunities and key enterprises planning international cooperation.

Shanxi's six national-level development zones and enterprises representing major local industries were present at the exhibition to draw business partners inside the country and from abroad.

There was an exhibition area for the central Shanxi city of Jinzhong, which was the cradle of Jinshang merchants and is now also a hub for Shanxi's opening-up. It showcased its history, culture, advantageous geographical position, business environment and solid industrial foundation to lure investors.

"Shanxi is now developing itself into a highland for opening-up in inland China," said an official from the Shanxi Department of Commerce. "It wants to display its business opportunities to the world through the CIIE platform."