Representatives from over 40 companies in east China's Ningbo City departed on Sunday for Hungary to explore new markets in Central and Eastern Europe, taking advantage of a business matchmaking event held by the commerce departments of China and Hungary in Budapest on Wednesday.
As part of China's business delegation to attend the event, the business travelers gathered at the local airport fully geared up to promote their products and expand in the European market, with many of them bringing their products to showcase.
"We have brought nine patented products this time, showing that China's cellular biotechnology industry is om par with foreign peers," said Yin Xiuling, General Manager of Huayu (Xinhui) Ningbo Biotechnology.
In addition to experienced export businesses, the delegation also involves many newcomers to the Central and Eastern European markets. One such company is Ningbo Qisejia Metal Products, which brought along its clever paper towel holder.
"You can place tissues on it and tear them with one hand. I can also lift it and move it elsewhere. Additionally, I can press it down, and fill the sprayer with alcohol or cleaning liquid for sanitation purposes. We are looking to expand into the blue ocean of Central and Eastern European market and strengthen friendly relations in the with countries in the region," said Lian Zhenyu, General Manager of Ningbo Qisejia Metal Products.
The representatives from Ningbo make up half of the event participants from the Chinese side, including domestic and foreign trade companies, manufacturers, and logistics service providers.
"We aim to explore new business opportunities in Europe and assess whether we can expand our whole process services of logistics, warehousing, and transportation, beyond what we have done before," Ma Zhenxiang, Vice President of the East China Region, Kuayue Express Group.
To match the diversified needs of businesses from all sectors, the two countries have had communications in advance and solicited interested companies to promote cooperation.
"The first type of participating enterprises are domestic and foreign trade companies looking to expand their market. Second are manufacturing enterprises that, from a perspective of supply chain diversification, hope to distribute their products to the European market via Hungary, as well as the whole Central and Eastern Europe. Third are logistics service providers," said Fei Jianming, an official from the Foreign Trade Promotion Division under the Ningbo Bureau of Commerce.
As China's first demonstration area of economic and trade cooperation with Central and Eastern European countries, Ningbo has seen an average import-export increase with countries in the region of 17.2 percent since 2018. In the first two months of 2025, bilateral trade has seen a record-breaking volume of over ten billion yuan (about 1.3 billion U.S. dollars), representing a 15.3 percent increase year-over-year.
Exporters from Ningbo depart to explore Central, Eastern Europe markets
The Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum in south China's Guangdong Province has received over four million visitors since opening on May 1 last year.
In addition to gaining astounding popularity, the museum has been selected as one of the "World's Most Beautiful Museums" by UNESCO.
One morning during the first anniversary period of its opening, the museum was already packed with student groups and family visitors as early as 10:00.
To the delight of the hundreds of children attending on that day, the museum is filled with highly interactive exhibits that are as fun as they are educational. In the AI ping-pong robot zone, visitors play matches against a robot, which adjusts its difficulty level in real time according to human opponent's skill, precisely matching ball speed and strength.
"I tried seven or eight exhibits. My favorite is the ping-pong. The experience showed me how powerful science can be, and the ping-pong robot made me realize that machines can be so amazing," said Mo Jiquan, a young student from Guangdong's Zhongshan City.
In the "Smart Industry" hall, a group of students from Singapore learned to race model cars controlled by brainwaves.
By pressing foreheads against an electroencephalogram (EEG) signal collection device and concentrating, the students used the power of their minds to propel the cars forward.
"Science fiction has become reality. These things are different from what we learn at school. For example, these brainwave-control devices, we have never seen anything like them. So I think it's a new and very meaningful experience," said Chen Mengfanglin, a student from Singapore.
Among the museum's 950 innovative exhibits, such as brain-computer interfaces, simulated space capsules, dexterous hands, 80 percent offer deep interactive experiences.
More importantly, these exhibits are dynamically updated as industrial technologies evolve.
"I think this place is very futuristic and fun. This is my second time here. I feel that there are more exhibits, and the technology has advanced," said Wu Zining, a Shenzhen student.
According to the museum, visitor numbers remain steady on weekdays, surge significantly during holidays, and overseas visitors have seen a notable increase since the beginning of this year.
"Our museum receives between 2,000 and 5,000 visitors on weekdays. On holidays, we get around 30,000 visitors per day. Since the beginning of this year, the number of overseas visitors has also risen significantly," Zhang Haitian, director of the Exchange and Cooperation Center of the museum.
Unlike traditional science museums that simply display items alongside written explanations, the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum has pioneered an approach that combines innovation, public outreach, and education into one seamless experience.
Over the past year, it has collected 39 technology transfer projects, held 10 "deep science and technology" project matchmaking events, and brought research institutes, leading enterprises, investors, and the public together, creating a new ecosystem linking government, enterprises, research institutes, and the museum.
"On the basis of the original basic functions of a science and technology museum, we have taken a bolder step forward. We have extensive links with sci-tech innovation companies, so a steady stream of new technologies, achievements, products and ideas flow into the museum. We also have close interactions with science fiction and cultural heritage sectors, integrating science and technology with culture and art. Through flexible cooperation with various industries, this approach has opened up unlimited possibilities for the entire science and technology museum," said Zheng Yongchun, head of the museum.
Interactive sci-tech museum in south China hosts 4 million visitors in first year
