By: Alex De Mostafa

The spring of 2009 heralds the arrival of the 105th annual Canton Trade Show and Fair, the largest mainland exhibition of import and export consumer goods in China. This international exhibition boasts an average of over 55 000 vendor booths from approximately 22 000 national businesses and over 400 international import and export exhibitors.

The China Import and Export Fair, as it is also known as, is hosted in three separate sessions. This year, Phase One will be run from April 15th-19th, Phase Two will occur from April 24th-28th and the third and final phase finishes up during May 3rd-May 7th.

Goods and services from all over the world are featured each year at this international trade venue. Whether you are a private citizen or a progressive business entrepreneur, there is an impetus to visit this gathering to peruse the latest accomplishments offered for trade and to inspire commerce. Innovative and contemporary advancements in technology, electronics, construction, transportation, medicine, travel, sports, business, health and recreation will be introduced and demonstrated. A bird’s eye view of progress will showcase the most recent improvements in automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles. Faster, more compact, more economical and more versatile alternatives to existing technology will be available to inspect and to aspire toward owning.

The latest trends in fashion, home decor, textiles will be presented and admired for their creativity and unique appeal. New personal care products, toiletries and clothing for the whole family will be available to try on and sample. Artwork in a wide variety of media including fabric, paint, rattan, iron and glass will be displayed and available for custom orders and purchase. Carpets, tapestries, weaving, furs and leather will be highlighted in their finest forms of design. Fresh food, gourmet spices and cookery, kitchen appliances and native produce will tantalize taste buds and entice consumers to trade money for culinary delights.

If your livelihood is derived from the retail of consumer goods or if you are an artisan, consider that your business will gain an average additional 10 percent in turn-over per year. Each time you choose to vendor your wares at a booth during one of the largest world trade fairs, you will increase your profits by a significant portion of sales. Approximately 175 000 foreign buyers attend the exhibition annually and in 2007 about 31 billion dollars worth of business contracts, were signed. Although attendance fluctuates from year to year and it dropped, for example, 8.5 percent in 2003 during the SARS epidemic, an additional 10 percent in your annual business profits does outweigh the cost of your travel and booth rental. Even during times of economic recession, when attendees drop from 175 000 to 162 0000 (less an estimated 8.5 percent or 12 500), that is still 162 000 clients with the potential to be new buyers for your services.

For domestic retailers in China, the opportunity for U.S. or European buyers rivals the overhead costs of floor space at the Trade Fair. Domestic consumerism is on the increase in China, making a slow but steady climb toward economic prosperity. Approximately 55 percent of business contracts signed at the China Import and Export Fair come from foreign buyers and although this percentage has shown a downward trend, its overall trend shows upward mobility. To encourage domestic commerce, China has increased the number and value of tax rebates on many items purchased domestically. To help boost the internal economy, the Chinese government has also made it easier to obtain bank credit to assist with the export of goods to foreign countries.

Expanding your business requires diversification. The Canton Trade Fair is a worthy opportunity to extend the reach of your sales. If you are looking for a fresh, new inventory or wish to keep up with the world market in technology or electronics, make some time to visit the next China Import and Export Fair.

For assistance with travel arrangements, hotel accommodations and navigating through the arrangements necessary to become a buyer or vendor at the 2009 China Import and Export Fair, contact your local travel agent. Full access to a range of hotels, vendor list, exhibition schedules, air fares and travel information can be found in one convenient website.

Article Source: http://articles-mart.com

Wentrip.com provides information and travel resources in China. Whether you’re looking for a canton fair hotel, Beijing hotels or are traveling to a different city or region Wentrip.com will help you find the right advice and accommodations fast.

Xi’an is one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China, and is the capital of Shaanxi Province. Xi’an is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and known as the site of the Terracotta Army, made during the Qin Dynasty. The city has more than 3,100 years of history, and was known as Chang’an  (literally “Perpetual Peace”) before the Ming Dynasty. Xi’an means literally “Western Peace”.

Xi’an will host the 2011 World Horticultural Exposition b. The 2011 World Horti-Expo will be held from April 11 to October 11, 2011 as an exhibition of A2+B1 level, which permits local government to apply.The Expo is expected to bring some 10 million visitors to Xi’an. The venue will be located in a new district of the city, Chanba district.

Xi’an also has largest internet bar in the world with more than 3000 computers is located in . As one of the largest educational centres in China, with a huge number of undergraduate students, online games are very popular in the area. Xi’an has already hosted worldwide game competitions such as ACON5, CEG2006, and WCG2006.

Some popular attractions in Xi’an are the Terracotta Army, Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, Bell Tower of Xi’an, Hua Shan (Mount Hua), City wall of Xi’an, and the Tang Paradise.

Tang Paradise is a large theme park near the city of Xi’an. The park is at or near the site of an earlier garden complex in the Tang Dynasty, but consists almost entirely of modern construction. In the evening the many thousands of visitors are treated to a spectacular Lake Show, featuring Lasers, video projection onto water screens, fountains and other special effects.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda or Big Wild Goose Pagoda is a Buddhist pagoda located in southern Xi’an. One of the pagoda’s many functions was to hold sutras and figurines of the Buddha that were brought to China from India by the Buddhist translator and traveller Xuanzang.

Bell Tower of Xi'an

The Temple of Confucius was shown on a travel guide on TV here a few nights ago, so I thought I would “look it up”

A Temple of Confucius or Confucian temple  is a temple devoted to the memory of Confucius and the sages and philosophers of Confucianism. There are several countries that have them, but the argest and oldest Temple of Confucius is found in Confucius’s hometown, present-day Qufu in Shandong Province. It was established in 478 BC, one year after Confucius’s death, at the order of the Duke Ai of the State of Lu, who commanded that the Confucian residence should be used to worship and offer sacrifice to Confucius. The temple was expanded repeatedly over a period of more than 2,000 years until it became the huge complex currently standing.

Most Confucianist temples were built in Confucian schools, either to the front of or on one side of the school. The front portal of the temple was called the Lingxing Gate . Inside there were normally three courtyards, although sometimes there were only two. However, the complex in Qufu has nine courtyards. The main building, situated in the inner courtyard with entry via the Dachengmen, was usually known as the Dachengdian, variously translated as “Hall of Great Achievement”, “Hall of Great Accomplishment”, or “Hall of Great Perfection”. This hall housed the Confucius Ancestral Tablet and those of other important masters and sages. In front of the Dachengdian was the Apricot Pavilion or Xingtan .  Another important building was the Shrine of the Great Wise Men (Chongshengci , which honoured the ancestors of Confucius.

Unlike Daoist or Buddhist temples, Confucian temples do not normally have images. In the early years of the temple in Qufu, it appears that the spirits of Confucius and his disciples were represented with wall paintings and clay or wooden statues. Official temples also contained images of Confucius himself. However, there was opposition to this practice, which was seen as imitative of Buddhist temples. It was also argued that the point of the imperial temples was to honour Confucius’s teachings, not the man himself.

The lack of unity in likenesses in statues of Confucius first led Emperor Taizu of the Ming dynasty to decree that all new Confucian temples should contain only memorial tablets and no images. In 1530, it was decided that all existing images of Confucius should be replaced with memorial tablets in imperial temples in the capital and other bureaucratic locations, a rule still followed today. However, statues remained in temples operated by Confucius’s family descendants, such as that in Qufu.

Other countries that have a Temple of Confucius are Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia and Malaysia.

BEIJING, Jan. 16 — The recent opening of direct cross-strait transport links have made Taiwan the hottest destination for Spring Festival tourism.

At a travel agency in Dalian, the Taiwan tour package for Spring Festival costs as much as 11 thousand yuan. But, interest is not dampened.

An Na, outbound dept., Dalian Overseas Travel Service Co., said, “The demand is really hot, air tickets are in short supply, packages before February 8th have all been booked out.”

In other places, including Shandong and Chongqing, tour packages to Taiwan are booked until mid-February.

A travel agent said, “This is the name list of our tour group on January 11th. There are 100 people, quit a lot.”

“One reason that many people choose to go to Taiwan during Spring festival, is they want to see how the festival is celebrated in Taiwan. And some want to spend the festival with their families and friends there.”

Some of the rules for Taiwan tours have been changed. For example, the minimum number of people in each group should be more than five, instead of 10. And tourists can also stay longer, the limit has now been extended from 10 days to 15.

(Source: CCTV.com)

Chinese Transport

Since the year 1949, Chinese Transportation has experienced a major expansion and growth. In ancient times when people mainly traveled on foot, today China has various modes of transports like buses, planes, trains, ships, cars and bikes.

Air Travel
Because of the rapidly growing Civil aviation Industry, today China has around 500 airports of various sizes in operation. Among them about 400 have paved runways and 100 have runways of 3047m or shorter. With the increasing number of airports, there have come an increasing number of Chinese Airlines. Now there are more than 1150 International and domestic airlines operating in China. Some of the major Chinese Airlines are- Air China, China Northern Airlines, China Northwest Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China Southwest Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shanghai Airlines, Shangdong Airlines, Shinzhen Airlines, Xinhua Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, Yunan Airlines.

Trains
One of the cheapest ways of traveling long distance in China is by train, which the local population uses widely.
Basically the Chinese trains have 4 classes which are
i) Hard Seat- This is the cheapest class and is used by a large percentage of Chinese population for few hours’ journey. They include seating only carriages and often have more people than the number of seats available.
ii) Soft Seat- They are available on inter-city lines. They have a better level of comfort and are quite inexpensive.
iii) Hard Sleeper- This class consist compartments having six bunks with no doors. Each carriage end has a squat toilet and each bunk has a blanket and a small pillow. One can eat cheaply as food trolleys pass through the train.
iv) Soft Sleeper- Each compartment in this class has four bunks with a door. Each bunk has a pillow and a blanket. Toilets are located at the end of the carriages.

Buses
Instead of traveling by air or rail, traveling by road in China is a unique way of learning. As road reaches everywhere including the remote regions, bus travel can become the primary means of transport. Often buses are cheaper than train travel and tickets also easier to purchase. All the major Chinese cities and towns have long distance bus stations which sell bus tickets. The tickets are not needed to be booked in advance. The price of the bus tickets vary according to their conditions.

Waterway
Though people today seldom choose waterway for traveling between cities, but still they are an important means for moving goods throughout the country. A prime river system is the Pearl River delta, for the movement of people and goods. This system has a wide range of boats like sampans, barges, small fishing boats and hovercrafts. Sampans are also seen in Hong Kong harbour and they ply the waters throughout China. Different types of barges are used for transporting goods, and materials like soils and rocks.

Bikes and Bicycles
An excellent mode for getting around in Chinese cities are bicycles. In China, bicycles are an important means of transportation used in everyday life by the people and thus are visible everywhere. Bikes can be found in most of the villages, cities and towns in China, except Chongquing which is located on several steep mountains. During rush hour, the roads in China are swarmed with hundreds of bikes with people going on or off work.

BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) — China kicked off the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009) at the Beijing Planetarium here on Saturday.

IYA2009 was initiated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Astronomy Union (IAU) as a way to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the moment when Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) began observing the universe through a telescope.

“The universe is yours to discover during the International Year of Astronomy. It’s not only a year for astronomers but also more importantly, it’s for the whole public,” said Zhu Jin, president of the planetarium. “We hope more and more people will join us.”

Every country will hold it’s own festivities in January and February in recognition of the discovery.

China’s slogan is:  Mystery Universe, Chinese Vision.

There will be a series of activities, such as speeches, observations, teacher trainings, article competitions and a National Olympiad in Astronomy for middle school students and pupils, Zhu said.

“China has the longest history of astronomic observation,” said Ji Peiwen, an official with the National Science Foundation of China.

“The country made a lot of contribution to the astronomy world in recent years, by sending its detector to the moon and a taikonaut walked in the outer space.”

China also started using a large-scale astronomical telescope named LAMOST. It cost 235 million yuan (about 35 million U.S. dollars). The country planned to establish a 500-meter-diameter telescope named FAST, Ji said.

“That means China will add more contributions to the world’s astronomy field,” he said.

Continued

BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) — As the annual Spring Festival draws near, hundreds of millions of Chinese studying or working away from their hometowns are rushing home for the reunion with their long-separated families.

But the rush means dramatic surges in passenger flows and pain for the country’s already-panting rail system.

Can it cope?

Government officials said in a recent teleconference the nation expects 2.32 billion traveler-times during the upcoming 40-day travel peak before, during and after the Spring Festival holiday.

A record 188 million will opt for rails, the main choice for long-distance travel in the country, to take them home. That’s 8 percent more than the same period last year.

Railway authorities in major cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hangzhou have added 319 temporary express passengers trains for the holiday rush.

But some people will find it hard to purchase a train ticket home through normal channels. Workers at ticket booths at railway stations report that a Jan. 13 ticket from Beijing to Shenzhen had already sold out.

Railway stations across the country start selling tickets in advance — normally 4 days in advance during this holiday season.

Continued here

China’s  three main airline groups are:
Air China
China Eastern Airlines
China Southern Airlines

Other major China-based airline companies:
Hainan Airlines
Shandong Airlines
Shanghai Airlines
Shenzhen Airlines + Kunpeng Airlines
Sichuan Airlines
Xiamen Airlines

China’s private carriers Airlines are:
East Star Airlines
JuneYao Airlines
OK Air
Spring Airlines
United Eagle Airlines

China  is a cultural region, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia.

China has one of the world’s oldest people and continuous civilizations, consisting of states and cultures dating back more than six millennia. It has the world’s longest continuously used written language system, and is the source of many major inventions, such as what the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham called the “four great inventions of Ancient China”: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. Historically, China’s cultural sphere has extended across East Asia as a whole, with Chinese religion, customs, and writing systems being adopted to varying degrees by neighbors such as Japan, Korea and Vietnam. The first evidence of human presence in the region was found at the Zhoukoudian cave and is one of the first known specimens of Homo Erectus, now commonly known as the Peking Man, estimated to have lived approximately from 300,000 to 550,000 years ago. Noticeably, it is also known that the Peking Man was able to control and use Fire.