Chinese, foreign businessmen gather in west China for Tibetan carpet trade

More than 1,000 business people from 21 countries gathered in Xining, capital of west China's Qinghai province, on Friday to attend the 2004 Qinghai Tibetan Carpet International Fair.

Forty display counters of foreign firms mainly from India, Nepal and Pakistan and 210 showcases of domestic business people were established in the exhibition, all according to the world-licensed A standard.

Over 100 kinds of Tibetan carpets are the leading actors of the fair. Moreover, some hand-woven carpets such as silk carpets are also shown at the fair.

"We came to Qinghai just for the fair, as in Hamburg, Tibetan carpets containing rich cultural meaning win a large number of customers with their beautiful design and excellent handicraft," said Jurgen, a businessman from Hamburg, Germany.

As the major producing area of Tibetan carpets, Qinghai saw the yield of its Tibetan carpet reach 200,000 square meters with net foreign exchange profit from exports of 10 million US dollars in 2003.

The fair, which opened here Friday, will last for four days. With the aim to exhibit China's traditional, excellent carpet-making arts and crafts, the fair is sponsored by the Qinghai provincial government, Tibetan Autonomous Regional government, and China Chamber of Commerce for Import/Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-products.

Source: Xinhua