The ongoing Canton Fair in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province, has introduced a new model by inviting nine international online influencers to visit exhibition booths and recommend premier exhibits to global buyers in livestreaming shows.
Officially known as the 140th China Import and Export Fair, the autumn session of this biannual event runs in three phases from Oct 15 to Nov 4, with the five-day second phase focusing on Quality Home Life until Tuesday.
Phase II features an exhibition area of over 515,000 square meters with over 25,000 booths, drawing more than 10,000 enterprises from around the world.
Sobraj Al Akand, a buyer from Bangladesh and a streamer with a following across European and American markets, heads straight to the exhibition area after his livestreams. He has found many creative products in the jewelry section.
"Canton Fair is one of the biggest platforms -- one for the suppliers, another one for the buyers, and also the promoter or the social media person like me. So here, we get to know a lot of different products that are created in China that I found a lot more innovations -- literally life-changing innovations. So, it's a good platform for all of us," he said.
Ahmed, a multilingual buyer and streamer from Egypt, has been moving from booth to booth during the event to scout products for buyers in Egypt, the wider Middle East, and European and American markets.
"I just want to say that I have been enjoying every single step inside the Canton Fair this time. I feel it's different, it's special, it's giving me new and new ideas," he said.
The livestreaming shows have produced fruitful results, serving as an effective online extension of and supplement to the physical exhibition, according to organizers.
"So far, we have organized 22 'exhibition plus overseas livestreaming' activities, with a total of 684,000 views," said Huang Changjie, head of international VIP services at the China Foreign Trade Center (CFTC), the organizer of the fair.
Int'l streamers help Canton Fair exhibits reach global buyers
Thousands of people gathered in Cape Town for a weekend of colorful kites at the 32nd Cape Town International Kite Festival this October 24 and 25, as the giant shapes floating above the city carried a serious message about mental health and community support.
First organized by Cape Mental Health in 1994, the event is Africa's oldest kite festival. Organizers said it serves as a reminder that one in four people in South Africa lives with a mental health condition, with many struggling to access help.
For 32 years, kite flyers from across the globe have gathered in Cape Town to see this spectacular sight, but these shapes taking over the clouds carry more than just wind. They carry a vital message about human connection and mental health.
"So many people are battling with everyday life circumstances that we are exposed to. In South Africa, in particular, we see high crime rates, gender-based violence, poverty. These are all risk factors that impact on people's mental health. More than one billion people globally live with a mental health condition. In South Africa, it's one in four who live with a mental health condition. We're seeing an increase in prevalence, particularly amongst our young people. The Cape Town Kite Festival really provides this platform to encourage people to put up their hand and say, 'I need help,'" said Ingrid Daniels, CEO of Cape Mental Health.
The festival also raises funds for free mental health services across the Western Cape.
"Looking at something beautiful. I think [it] gives everybody hope. It's not just about the beauty. It's about the message it gives and the color of the sky. It's everybody. It's a rainbow of colors," said Frans Marais, an honorary kiter at the festival.
"Today, I am here to support the awareness around it and for people to be comfortable to talk about it, because many people, they suffer in silence. And that is where actually the problem lies," said Bernadine Chilwane, a festivalgoer.
Indeed, raising awareness is only the first step. Breaking the stigma around mental health means making it easier for people to speak up and ask for help.
"There are a lot of people in the world that hide their mental health and don't actually tell their families and get to tell their families about. There's always someone in your friend group or your family that you can actually tell what you're actually going through," said Kyra Blackenberg, a volunteer at Cape Mental Health.
Cape Town Int'l Kite Festival helps raise mental health awareness
