The ninth China International Import Expo opened in Shanghai on Nov 5 and runs through Nov 10. The Country Exhibition brings together 69 countries and international organizations in Hall 5.2 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Around the country pavilions

Canada and Sri Lanka are this year's guest countries of honor. Both have national pavilions at the Country Exhibition, while companies from both countries are also participating in the Business Exhibition. Canada's pavilion opened on Nov 6 with a Cirque du Soleil performance blending acrobatics, dance, and visual art.

At the Bahrain pavilion, visitors can learn about traditional hand-drumming techniques and sample local specialties such as palm sap and tea made with fresh milk. They can also try on traditional clothing while learning how dress styles vary across generations.

At the Georgia pavilion, visitors can watch chefs prepare traditional dishes and sweets, learn to write their names in Georgian script, or play a game of chess. Both digital chess stations and traditional chessboards are available.

The Argentina pavilion hosts cooking master classes featuring specialty ingredients such as grass-fed beef and wild red shrimp. Visitors can also sample Malbec wine and yerba mate.

The Norway pavilion serves brown cheese waffles and specialty coffee roasted by a World Barista Championship winner.

The Slovenia pavilion features rotating displays of alpine honey and wine, while its sports section showcases a racing bicycle ridden by Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar.

Seychelles and Gabon are taking part in the Country Exhibition for the first time. Seychelles is showcasing seafood such as tuna, grouper, snapper, and wild sea cucumbers harvested from deep waters, as well as natural coconut-based skincare products. Gabon's pavilion takes its theme from the country's equatorial rainforests and showcases timber and other forest products, herbal tea, and beer.

Inside the China pavilion

At the China pavilion, visitors can interact with a bionic hand and try driving a CR450 high-speed train in a simulator. In the aerospace section, two sets of 1:20-scale models show how a net on an offshore platform catches the first stage of the Long March 10B rocket.

The pavilion also displays a ZXMOTO 820RR motorcycle. A racing version of the model, ridden by French rider Valentin Debise, won both races at the Portuguese round of the FIM Supersport World Championship in March.

Beyond technological achievements, the China pavilion also highlights creative works that combine traditional craftsmanship with contemporary popular culture. At the center of the Pop Mart booth is a 1.5-meter-tall Space Molly figure crafted using cloisonne techniques, which are on China's national intangible cultural heritage list. Its spacesuit features star-trail motifs rendered in cloisonne enamel.

During the expo, the booth will also host Liu Zhongping, a practitioner recognized by Foshan city in Guangdong province for preserving its traditional woodblock Chinese New Year prints. Liu will explain traditional techniques and guide visitors through printing.

Sources: Jiefang Daily, Shanghai Observer