Specialty products from remote mountainous areas showcased
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Buyers and sellers negotiate.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Buyers try beef from a booth.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Performers on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Cooks from Xinjiang make naan bread for visitors.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Dancers from Xinjiang perform for visitors.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
A seller from Tibet live promotes products her company brings on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Performers from Tibet on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
A handicraft seller makes bamboo cups on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Tibetan handicraft works on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Tibetan art on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Pen set created in cooperation with the famous brand "Hero" themed on Tibetan mythology.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Tibetan jewellery on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Xinjiang jewellery on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
A customer sips tea from Yunnan on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
Pomegranates with black seeds from Yunnan presented on the exhibition.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE -
The exhibition is being held at Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center.
Chen Huizhi / SHINE
For the third year in a row, an exhibition and fair of speciality products from the remote mountainous area of China is being held in Shanghai to advance the country’s poverty relief efforts.
More than 500 companies from 20 localities in seven provinces and autonomous regions to which Shanghai offers help in addressing poverty have brought tens of thousands of specialties to the city, hoping to win the hearts and wallets of local merchants and residents.
As well as traditional favorites such as chicken from Yunnan, dates and almonds from Xinjiang, tangerines from Hubei, highland barley products from Tibet, yak meat from Qinghai, mutton from Guizhou and lemons from Chongqing, visitors can also find wild mushrooms, black tea and pineapples from Yunnan, as well as chestnut roses from Guizhou, among other new offerings.
Visitors will also be introduced to traditional handicraft products from the regions, and entertained with ethnic songs and dances.
Aygul, director of “Siluguoxiang” e-commerce and agricultural technology companies of Yarkant County, Kashgar, Xinjiang, told Shanghai Daily that with beneficiary policies and technical support from the government, as well as effective cooperation with her business partners, her business has been thriving.
“Through exposure at such exhibitions, we have gained market insights and been upgrading our products to tailor to the market,” she said. “We have customers who return to us again and again because they trust our quality.”
Aygul said her business had been affected by the COVID-19 epidemic as had many others. They turned to online live promotions to reach out to their end customers, an increasingly popular product promotion solution in China.
“First we joined all others in grabbing attention of Internet users, but it didn’t work well enough for us because of the intense competition,” she said.
“Then we joined hands with a business partner and a subdistrict of Minhang District in Shanghai in live promotions, and achieved sales of about 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million).”
Aygul introduces a dessert product.
Wu Zhiyue, founder of Shanghai Zangri Agricultural Technology Co, was formerly a government official who entered the food and agriculture business a few years ago after three years working in Gyangze County, Shigatse, Tibet, as an expert from Shanghai.
Wu said he was fascinated by the highland barley in Tibet, known in Chinese as qingke, and was eager to introduce the highly nutritional food to the rest of the country, while also increasing the income of local people.
His company has lifted more than 500 local Tibetan residents out of poverty so far, he said.
“Through joint promotions with the government, people are more and more familiar with the benefits of qingke,” Wu said. “We’re also exploring new qingke products that are acceptable to urban residents, especially to office workers who are looking for healthy and convenient dining options.”
Wu Zhiyue with his qingke products.
The exhibition and fair is being held at the Shanghai Everbright Convention and Exhibition Center on Caobao Road, on the first and third floor. It will open to the public from October 18 to 20.
October 17 is China’s National Poverty Relief Day. The Chinese government vowed to eradicate poverty in the country by the end of 2020.
