Guangzhou is also known by its Older name ‘Pinyin’, but among the people from West, it is known from its English name – ‘Canton’. Guangzhou is a port town in the Pearl River Delta and is just 120 km (about 75 miles) from Hong Kong.
Guangzhou is an educational hub and has many national and international institutes of good repute. It is home to the American International School of Guangzhou, and roughly 50 additional reputed institutions, where a large number of students come to get higher, medium and college level education.
Guangzhou is the heart of the whole region of Pearl River delta and is poised to be the next big thing in trade and economy in China, owing to its nearness to other economic giants. Hong Kong is already working to its full capacity and a lot of work has been shifted to shanghai and other parts. Still, due to excessive expansion, more space is needed and traders are feeling the need to spread the industries from Hong Kong into parts of mainland china. Parts such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen are optimum for such expansion activity as they are situated at almost the same location and offer cultures similar to Hong Kong with lower input costs in terms of space and labor. All these factors, coupled with the fact that this city has a lot of raw intellectual talent in terms of the students studying here, makes it a perfect breeding ground for competition. The only thing needed now is some sort of a thrust that can be provided by foreign investment, which will drive this intellect to newer heights. It should not be long before we see MNCs foraying into this town, in search of talent at competitive prices.
The famous ‘Canton Fair’, which is a bi annual event here and was inaugurated, is very popular and attracts a number of traders, domestic and international, and tourists alike.
Canton fair is the single largest place where major exporters from China meet, twice a year. These traders are from different fields, which include private players, scientific researchers, foreign trade companies and companies owned and run wholly by foreign players. Export is the major business carried out here, but the latest trend also shoes that with the increasing economy, the Chinese traders are showing keen interest in importing items as well. Various aspects of export- import trading carried out here include the discussion of exchange rates, inspection of commodities, sample sharing and testing, insurance, travel and shipping concerns and some other less important aspects like advertising and consultation. The Canton Trade fair is the largest trade fair in China in terms of assortment of items, attendance and money worth of which deals are signed. It is also a comprehensive insight into how the Import-Export system in china works and for an amateur exporter or importer to or from China, this Trade fair can offer a great learning experience. Besides, one can get in touch with the leading foreign traders in China and who knows, you might even strike a deal that keeps you in a good stead over the coming years.
Guangzhou is also known for its art and sculpture. Being an old and historic town, Guangzhou has seen many great artists at works here. Even today, some of the most famous local products from Guangzhou are those of art. Jade, Wood and Olive wood sculptures and Canton ivory carvings are unique to Guangzhou and offer an old world charm and elegance in the designs. The Guangzhou colorful pottery or Canton enamel products have a history of over 300 years and they are said to be the descendants of the pottery and culinary products of the Ming and Song eras. Canton food products include the very special Bacon, known as Canton Bacon, which is nothing but cured meet and is said to be very good for health. China has Four broad classes of embroidery, and one of them – The Yue Embroidery, or the Canton embroidery is a local product.
All these products are of great export value because of several reasons. First, the import export duties and shipping costs are not too high at Guangzhou, because of its relatively liberal policy towards these issues, especially during the Canton fair, and secondly, high competition here among a large number of enterprises offers a good initial value, on which one can build to desirable levels once the product has been exported.
Truly, Guangzhou, or Canton, is an exporter’s paradise. It is hub of activity for those who believe in the exciting world of auctioneering and old school of trading. It is a paradise for those who don’t want to trade in commodities and stocks, but those who want to experiment with art and culture. Guangzhou is poised to be the socio-cultural hub, offering wonderful schemes and opportunities to the exporter of today in these items. It is time for the bold investor to invest in art and export business at this relatively raw market.