Already dazzled by an hour-long ride from the airport, I could not confine myself to my hotel even for an hour in spite of a tiring, nightlong flight from Kathmandu. With quick tips from a friend of mine on do’s and don’ts in China, I ventured out without an interpreter but with my pocket full of the hotel’s business cards printed in Chinese characters. “Get your cell phone activated and keep phone numbers of a few friends who can communicate in Chinese language.” This suggestion did help me find my way to China Furniture Wholesale Market in Shunde district in Foshan. Spread over 3 million square meters with over 1,500 furniture manufacturers, over 3,300 domestic and foreign furniture dealers, 200 modern furniture sales buildings lined up along 5 km highway arranged in 12 rows and 20 streets, the wholesale market is claimed to be the world’s largest furniture wholesale market. The trading of furniture from this center alone is believed to cross over a billion dollars a year. I could see similar setups for flowers and horticulture industries spread over millions of square meters as I was driven back from the furniture city. I was told there were similar arrangements for ceramics, construction materials, textiles, etc in Foshan. Development of such nicely planned industry-friendly cities, I was told, can happen only if the state is in total control. However, once developed, it is handed over to privates firms.
The China Foreign Trade Center hosting the fair in two super large complexes – Liuhu with an indoor exhibition area of 120,000 square meters and Pazhou with 152,000 square meters – had made every effort to make it as visitor friendly as possible. Well-connected by subway, city trunk roads and bus services, the exhibition venue has all facilities like hotels, offices, banks and commercial services around it.
Still not convinced about the role of control of state on development, I hurried myself to the China Import and Export Fair in Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou. I literally gasp for fresh air every time I visit any trade fair hosted in Nepal. Visitors literally push their ways in and out and exhibitors find themselves either too busy to answer your queries or too relaxed to give attention to your interests. I was sure the fair I was heading to in Canton would not be the same but had never imagined it to be beyond my expectation. The China Foreign Trade Center hosting the fair in two super large complexes – Liuhu with an indoor exhibition area of 120,000 square meters and Pazhou with 152,000 square meters – had made every effort to make it as visitor friendly as possible. Well-connected by subway, city trunk roads and bus services, the exhibition venue has all facilities like hotels, offices, banks and commercial services around it. There were thousands of new participants queued up for registration, which was so systematic that it took less than half an hour to get my registration form filled, identity and immigration papers verified, entrance fee paid and my entry badge issued. The entrance to the hall was flooded with thousands of participants.
Once in, it took me only a few minutes to rightly orient myself. Guiding myself to the right stall and right product of my choice was not a problem at all. The eatery, the postal services, the banks, the rest rooms and the communication centers were located within the exhibition halls. The depth and range of products of each category in the exhibition were so vast that it would not be an overstatement to say that they met the needs of almost every customer from around the world. Most importantly, the energy and enthusiasm of the exhibitors (most of whom were females) was incredible. It seemed that the Chinese have well understood the value and importance of customer service.
Not only in the exhibition halls and industrial cities but also in and around Guangzhou, enterprises were all very organized. Each and every product had been designated a specialized area and were connected by public transportation. The state-of-art subways with graphic displays and descriptions in English were as user friendly as in New York. The bus systems were still better with designated walled lanes and well-planned bus stations resembling metro systems. Foods from everywhere, including Nepal, were easily available. In a nutshell, the city had gone metropolitan to ease the stay of each and every trader from around the globe. Bygone are the days when we used to trade consumables to take gold home. We still do the trading but spend greenback to take home consumer products manufactured in China. China produces, world consumes!
(Writer is Director, Business Development & Projects, Soaltee Hotel Limited.)
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