Stores packed with lanterns and others festive paper craft creations designed to mark the Mid-Autumn Festival have been receiving surging numbers of customers in a market in Hong Kong's northern New Territories in the lead up to the festival, which lands on Tuesday.
Paper artisan Kenneth Mo Cheuk-kai has been busy preparing for the festival, which dates back more than a millennium and is a cherished occasion for family reunions across China, with revelers eating mooncakes, appreciating the full moon and lighting lanterns.
Lanterns are one of the oldest traditions of the festival and are used to make wishes and decorate homes. By far the most popular lantern is the rabbit, a nod to the character from the ancient Chinese myth, who joins the moon goddess Chang-e.
"Traditional lanterns are very rare, so I would like to buy a traditional one for this year's festival," said a customer named Fiona Wong.
Some of the smaller lanterns are produced in a factory but the master craftsman Mo makes some of the bigger ones by himself. He is specialized in hand-crafting custom-orders, such as a Chinese unicorn head which will be used by a local dance troupe to usher in good luck.
Mo's interest in making lanterns and paper decorations was piqued at the age of 13 when he sought to repair a paper lion head damaged during the traditional lion dance.
He went on to study the craft before later turning his hobby into a full-time profession by launching his own business.
"I spend a lot of time watching and learning, trying to understand this craft. It wasn't until I was 25 that I quit my job as a tour guide and I opened my own store," said Mo.
Now, 27 years later, his business is still going strong, with the craftsman receiving up to 300 custom orders ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
While Hong Kong's glory days of paper crafts may be over, Mo believes they remain integral to preserving the city's culture and are still a highly-sought after fixture during many festive occasions.
"Without us, the whole tradition is not complete. We are facilitating the traditions. For example, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, you will need religious crafts to support the whole event," he said, referring to one of Hong Kong's most colorful cultural celebration events, which has been on China's national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2011.
Mo's passion for preserving the arts led him to start a charity, teaching his craft to students.
"It is easy to lose this craftsmanship since it is already considered an intangible cultural heritage. So, it is in danger. If it disappears, it would become one of those things we only read about in textbooks, rather than seeing this art in person," said Yuen Suet, one of Mo's students.
The veteran craftsman, meanwhile, pledged to keep on work working and do his part to ensure this old custom keeps shining for years to come and he is confident the ancient tradition will continue to captivate new generations.
"It is not just a hope, because festivals need generations to gather together. Us seniors will pass on to the younger ones. As long as they have senior family members, it can be continued," he said.
Artisans in Hong Kong help paper crafting shine during festive period
This year's CIIE has seen many overseas participants keen to expand their footprint in the Chinese market, as the country's resilient consumer market is generating numerous business opportunities for international brands despite global economic headwinds.
The seventh CIIE is being held in Shanghai from Tuesday to Sunday.
Under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," this year's event has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations, and achieved a new record with the attendance of 297 Fortune Global 500 companies and industry leaders.
Shiseido, a Japanese cosmetics producer, plans to deepen its presence in what it considers a crucial market.
"We have never waived in the confidence and determination to invest in China, and even when talking about the future, we are confident to strengthen the longterm investment in China because again, the Chinese market, including the consumer, are very sound, they are so vital, as well as resilient. And then now the China market is a very important international market for the Shiseido Group," said Toshinobu Umetsu, President and CEO of Shiseido China.
Meanwhile, Australian wine producer Penfolds, owned by Treasury Wine Estates, is advancing its local production strategy. The company launched its first Chinese-made wines at the previous CIIE.
"As we started our journey of making wine here in China, we were welcomed very warmly by industry participants here in Ningxia, but also down in Yunnan in Shangri-la. So we are taking a very collaborative approach, and it's great be able to share what is possible when you focus on collaboration and partnership with the release of our Chinese wines that we showcased for the first time here at CIIE last year," said Tom King, Managing Director of Penfolds, an Australian wine producer.
Unilever, a British multinational company, is expanding its manufacturing footprint with new facilities in south China's Guangzhou City and east China's Hefei City. The consumer goods giant expects its food category plant to begin production in Q1 2025.
"We have strong determination to develop in the Chinese market. For example, currently we are building a full-category manufacturing site in Guangzhou. The first phase has already completed, the second phase, our food factory, is still under construction and is scheduled to be put into production by the first quarter of next year. And also this year, we build another new skin factory from our beauty and wellbeing business in Hefei. So this series of new investment, new construction, not only marks the upgrade of our supply chain, but also reflects our strong determination, our strong confidence to further develop in the Chinese market, probably for another 100 years," said Jasmine Dang, head of Communication and Corporate Affairs at Unilever North Asia.
The CIIE is the world's first national-level exposition dedicated to imports. Running from November 5 to 10 under the theme of "New Era, Shared Future," the seventh CIIE has attracted participants from 152 countries, regions and international organizations to participate in its country exhibition and business exhibition.
Int'l businesses eye opportunities in China's thriving market