Trade Expo in Shenzhen, China Draws 30,000 Visitors... Aspiring to Be the E-commerce Mecca

Shenzhen, Known as China's Silicon Valley
E-commerce Companies, Policy and Education Programs Introduced
Merchants Promote Products via Live Broadcasts

"Do you need a platform to sell your products?" (TikTok official)

On the 20th, the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Supply Chain Expo" was held at the Shenzhen International Convention Center (Convention Center) located in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. Hosted by Shenzhen New Future Exhibition (MRE FAIR) and the Korea-China Cultural Association (Chongqing·Chengdu), the event featured 450 booths and 30,000 visitors filling a space of 15,000㎡. The products on display were literally diverse with everything imaginable. From cosmetics to winter fabrics, supplements, rice cookers, ramen, coffee, alcohol, smart glasses, massagers, headphones, bags, toys, dolls, dog leashes, and even cat litter boxes with sand.

On the 20th, at the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Transaction Supply Chain Expo" held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China, the Chinese social networking service platform TikTok explained its e-commerce policies. / Photo by Gong Byungseon mydillon@

Shenzhen is a planned city built in 1979 alongside Deng Xiaoping's (鄧小平) reform and opening-up policy. Selected as a special economic zone, it rapidly grew by attracting investments from Chinese and Hong Kong companies. The population, which was only 300,000 about 50 years ago, swelled to 17.66 million as of last year. Along with this growth, Shenzhen is considered the wealthiest city in China. Additionally, IT companies such as Huawei and Tencent are concentrated here, earning it the nickname "China's Silicon Valley." On the way from Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport to the city center, one can see skyscrapers over 100 floors tall lined up alongside rows of palm trees.

This expo offered a glimpse into how much China values the spirit of commerce. The Chinese government did not charge any booth application fees to merchants selling agricultural and aquatic products in the commercial trade zone. The government actively supports merchants aiming to enter not only the Chinese market but also overseas markets. In fact, Chinese merchants were enthusiastically explaining their products to Western visitors. Park Geum-cheol, CEO of Shenzhen New Future Exhibition, said, "The main purpose of this event is trade," adding, "We hope Shenzhen, like Guangzhou, will become a hub for exports to the world."

On the 20th, merchants introduced products through live broadcasts at the "3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Transaction Supply Chain Expo" held in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China. / Photo by Gong Byung-sun mydillon@

One particularly notable feature of this expo was e-commerce. Not only Chinese e-commerce platforms such as AliExpress, Temu, and Shopee but also Chinese social networking service (SNS) platform TikTok and Chinese payment platform Alipay participated in the expo. Staff members did not just sit at their booths but handed out flyers to passersby, asking, "Did you come to the expo to sell good products?" They were actively promoting products to be sold on their platforms. Temu also promoted that it would cover all costs related to inventory and logistics management, encouraging merchants to just upload their products. An Alipay official explained their participation by saying, "Chinese companies always face intense competition," and "We set up a booth at the expo to further promote our payment platform."

Participants and merchants at the expo demonstrated a high level of understanding of e-commerce. Unlike typical expos where merchants try to grab the attention of passersby, the merchants at this event did not do so. Instead, they took out their smartphones and started live broadcasts. They promoted their products through live streaming. Merchants continuously explained their products while monitoring reactions in the internet chat window. Ms. Xiwei (21, female) came from Dongguan City, two hours away by car from Shenzhen, to see the expo. She was looking for products suitable for sale through e-commerce. Xiwei said, "I am always looking for business opportunities," adding, "It's great to have a collection of products that can be sold on e-commerce all in one place."

On the 20th, Park Geum-cheol, CEO of Shenzhen Shinmirae Exhibition (left), and Park Won-seo, President of the Korea-China Cultural Association (Chongqing·Chengdu), are taking a commemorative photo at the '3rd International Shenzhen Commercial Trade Fair and E-commerce Transaction Supply Chain Expo.' / Provided by Korea-China Cultural Association (Chongqing·Chengdu)

Chinese e-commerce companies provided detailed explanations about their policies and educational programs offered to platform participants. Attendees took out their smartphones to capture presentation (PPT) materials outlining company policies. A TikTok official explained in a presentation how to sell products through their platform and which methods of live broadcasting increase sales. They even shared which colors of clothing sell best. Park Won-seo, president of the Korea-China Cultural Association, said, "Shenzhen is the most developed place for networks centered on e-commerce," and added, "We plan to hold similar events in Korea in the future to promote various trade channels."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.