THE international market is ready to accept more and more arts and crafts products made in China, now that they are now being produced in a wider range of varieties and to higher standards.
This rosy outlook was stated yesterday by Shi Xiaoguang, president of China Arts & Crafts Association and who is regarded as the top leader of the country's arts and crafts industry. He noted that Shenzhen, close to both Hong Kong and Guangzhou, is young and dynamic, and hence an ideal gateway for Chinese handicraft products to the international market.
Shi is also president of China Arts & Crafts (Holdings) Corporation, which, along with the Shenzhen Municipal Economic Development Bureau, co-sponsors the 35th China Souvenirs and Handicrafts Fair that opened yesterday at the China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Centre.
"The previous 34 fairs of this kind were held in different cities in the country," Shi told Shenzhen Daily. "But from now on, SZ will be the permanent venue of this fair, which is held twice a year, in spring and autumn."
"The 89th Guangzhou Export Commodity Fair is under way, so the timing is good. We want to attract those foreign business people who participate in the Guangzhou fair to visit ours," Shi said.
The 35th China Souvenirs and Handicrafts Fair will run for four days. Held in Hall A of the high-tech fair centre, it features 500 exhibitors and over 100,000 products from all over China including Hong Kong.
Musing over the development of China's arts and crafts industry, Shi said he is confident that the Chinese products will capture a share of the international souvenir and handicraft market. "We chose Shenzhen to be the permanent venue because we are targeting the foreign market," he said.
"And I foresee that this fair will achieve at least 500 million yuan (about US$60 million) in trade volume," Shi concluded.