Speciality produce and craft from poorer regions is food for thought
The exhibition at Yuanshen Sports Center, the Pudong New Area
BEEF from Tibet, walnuts from Xinjiang, tea from Yunnan and orange wine from Chongqing are on sale at special exhibitions in Shanghai which run until October 22.
One of the showcases of specialties from seven provinces, autonomous and cities began yesterday at the Yuanshen Sports Center in Pudong New Area. It is being organized by the Shanghai government's office of domestic poverty relief and cooperation. The opening marked China's fifth National Day of Poverty Relief.
Shanghai residents and businesses have the chance to purchase more than 5,000 types of food, ingredients and handicrafts from Yunnan, Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, Guizhou, Chongqing and Hubei.
One of the exhibitors is Aygul, director of “Siluguoxiang”, an agricultural trader based in Yarkant County, Kashgar in Xinjiang.
Aygul said she has been selling walnuts, grapes, apples, almonds and dates from Kashgar at agricultural exhibitions in Shanghai for years.
She said the quality of the province's agricultural products had improved thanks to agricultural experts from Shanghai.
“Previously our farmers harvested apples too early," she said. "Now they have learned to abide their time so that they can have bigger and sweeter fruit. They also produce apples of different classes to cater to different consumers.”
Aygul talks to a few visitors at the exhibition.
The economic cooperation between Shanghai and Kashgar enables traders like Aygul to sell farm produce from Xinjiang directly to businesses in Shanghai, including restaurants and supermarkets.
The Shanghai government said the development of local tourism has generated more than 400 new jobs in Kashgar so far this year.
According to Aygul, the flow of tourists is not only in one direction.
“With the expansion of trade volume in the past few years, our farmers have seen annual income grow several times, and some of them told me that they’re planning to travel to Shanghai,” she said. “It was unthinkable a few years back when they couldn’t even sell their products."
Danbei Jiacan is the legal representative of a Tibetan culture company based in Golog, Qinghai, which promotes Dernang Sadris, a Tibetan calligraphy art, which is China’s national cultural heritage.
He is attending the exhibition to seek a market for the unique Tibetan art from Golog.
“Three years ago, 1,000 of our artists took part in an art training at Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts,” he said.
“Now I hope that we’ll soon have an art and craft college in my hometown and that in cooperation with partners in Shanghai we can modernize and market our art products here.”
The first day of the exhibition already drew a lot of interest.
Ruan Jiaming, Shanghai Fengxian Economic Development Co, signed a number of framework agreements of cooperation with the exhibitors. He said he is sourcing products to place on the shelves of the company’s community outlets.
“Those areas are home to a lot of products that can’t be grown here in Shanghai and are very much loved by Shanghai consumers,” he said. “In Qinghai, for example, they have high quality Chinese caterpillar fungus and saffron.”
Danbei Jiacan (right) signs an agreement with Ruan on the exhibition.
On the side of the exhibition, about 30 companies, government organizations signed cooperation agreements.
Apart from Yuanshen Sports Center, the exhibition can also be found at Minhang Gymnasium, Jiading Stadium and Shanghai Agricultural Exhibition Hall.
The exhibitions at the sports center, the gymnasium and the stadium are being held until October 21, while at the agricultural exhibition hall it will be held from October 19 to 22.
