A four-day annual trade fair opened Thursday in Lanzhou, northwest China's Gansu province, in an effort to raise the hinterland's visibility and bring in more investment.

The 12th China Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair was sponsored by the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, the State Administration for Industry and Commerce, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Shandong, Shanxi, Qinghai, Ningxia, Gansu and the municipalities of Tianjin and Chongqing.

The trade fair includes a workshop specializing in the industrial reform of medium-sized and small businesses and variousexhibitions for automobiles, construction materials, herbal medicines and tourism products.

The ownership of some state-owned firm with sound financial assets has been opened for transfer for the first time since the fair was initiated in 1993.

Ninety-six delegations, including 48 from abroad with 300 people in total, have come to the event.

Source: Xinhua