Sponsored by the Anhui provincial government and organized by the provincial bureau of commerce and the Huangshan city government, the 2008 China Anhui Investment and Trade Expo will be held in Huangshan from May 18 to 20.

With the theme of "Open and Harmonious Development", the 2008 Expo will provide forums on investment, promotional events and exhibitions.

Investment partnership meetings, the Anhui Merchants Forum, a tourism promotion called Entering Huizhou and the Anhui Food Festival will be the highlights of the expo. Huizhou is the ancient name of south Anhui that includes the city of Huangshan.

Beginning in 2006, the China Anhui Investment and Trade Expo has become the largest comprehensive trade fair in the province.

The expo is a platform for economic, technological and cultural exchanges between Anhui and the rest of the world. It plays an important role in attracting investment and promoting open and healthy economic development.

Trade pageant

The organizing committee's preparations for this gala began in December 2007. They have made great efforts to create safe environment for participants, including in accommodation, transportation, and volunteer services.

A number of major domestic cities have confirmed they will take part in the event.

According to the organizing committee's official website, Hefei, capital of Anhui, plans to promote 116 investment projects with total investment of US$12.1 billion during the fair. The city will hold an outsourcing service forum inviting such famous multinational companies as IBM, HP, and Microsoft to attend.

The 2008 Expo has paid special attention to developing local cultural industries.

It will hold a fine folk crafts exhibition, intangible cultural heritage performance and Huizhou culture exhibitions.

More than 220 investment projects in culture with a total value of 43.7 billion yuan will be presented at fair. The projects will include cultural infrastructure construction, cultural tourism, publications and entertainment.

A job fair for the local tourism industry will also be part of the expo. More than 10 tourism management organizations and some famous tourism enterprises in Anhui will provide thousands of job opportunities, while five training organizations from home and abroad will hold talks with the province's tourism administrations on training programs.

Famed traders

Locals also like to call the expo the Anhui Merchants Meeting because of their fond memory of the Anhui merchants who made a unique contribution to Chinese economic history.

The fame of Anhui merchants rose in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), and their businesses prospered between the late Yuan (1279-1368) and the Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. For more than 600 years, they played an important role in national commerce.

The glory and fame of Anhui merchants were won despite feudal dynasties that had long implemented policies to encourage agriculture and restrict trade.

Anhui merchants traveled all over the country struggling against hardship to fulfill the spirit of Confucianism in conducting business. Their available capital, trading skills and national influence topped all merchant groups in China.

They left rich cultural legacies including ancient villages in Xidi and Hongcun listed as UNESCO world cultural heritage sites.

Founded in 1667

Anhui is now becoming increasingly attractive investment destination in China due to its industrial strengths, market potential and advantageous location.

Founded as province in 1667 of the Qing Dynasty, Anhui covers an area of 139,600 sq km and has a population of 66.76 million. The province has 17 main cities, five county-level cities and 56 counties.

Located at the hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, Anhui has a convenient transportation network including expressways, railways and aviation to link it with the rest of the country. A bridgehead between eastern and the central regions, Anhui holds a very important position in China's regional economic map.

The province features splendid culture, beautiful scenery and outstanding intellectuals. It offers numerous places of interest including Huangshan Mountain, a world cultural and natural heritage site and a world geological park. It also home to a long history of Huaihe River culture and the influential Hui culture.

Rich in natural resources, Anhui is an important production center for not only agricultural products and energy but also new equipment and high technology. Local enterprises such as Ma'anshan Iron and Steel Group, Conch Group and Chery Automobile Co Ltd have made significant contributions to the nation's economic development.

Anhui also has a sound foundation for scientific and technological research, with 97 universities and 158 research institutes, including the University of Science and Technology of China and Hefei Institute of Physical Science, a branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In recent years Anhui established business and trade relations with more than 200 countries and regions, founded over 7,700 Sino-foreign joint ventures, and attracted investment from 40 of the world's top 500 enterprises, including Siemens, Hitachi and Unilever.

(China Daily May 13, 2008)