The 140th session of the Canton Fair opened in Guangzhou on October 15, drawing tens of thousands of international buyers to a venue located roughly 18,000 kilometers from places like Brazil, where attendees logged nearly 30 hours of travel to reach the exhibition halls. Operating at a 70-year milestone, the event has rolled out comprehensive digital, environmental, and cultural showcases aimed at modernizing international commerce, according to local reporting from Nanfang Daily.
Robotics and Smart Applications Flood Exhibition Halls
Autonomous technology dominated the D区友谊大厅 (Friendship Hall service robot exhibition area) on opening day, featuring bipedal humanoid robots playing ball alongside automated coffee makers and mechanical pandas. At the Zhujiang pedestrian walkway, Guangzhou Dongyi Artificial Intelligence Co., Ltd. demonstrated the world’s first bipedal humanoid robot capable of autonomously playing badminton with human opponents. Venezuelan buyer Rafael Saavedra stepped up to test the machine’s interactive tracking capabilities during an exhibition match. Dongyi general manager Yao Kai Ran noted that the firm deployed humanoid robots, quadruped mechanical dogs, and dexterous hands into operational service roles across the venue for smart guidance and industrial demonstrations.
Commercial activity surged within hours of the opening bell. Shenzhen Kingda Intelligent representatives reported that overseas buyers booked out display units within the first two hours of trade. Site manager Wang Maogui stated that the company brought remote pet companion robots equipped with feeding rewards along with AI emotional support hardware and smart rings geared toward young international consumers. Exhibition organizers integrated 22 smart application scenarios and 16 artificial intelligence features throughout the grounds, alongside a venue-wide AR exhibition guidance system providing one-meter location accuracy across 45 halls and over 75,000 booths accessible via the official Canton Fair app.
Green Technologies Draw Record Overseas Demand
Renewable energy equipment and electric vehicles occupied high-traffic corridors as buyers sought out certified low-carbon alternatives. First-time Kazakhstani buyer Shahida toured the new energy vehicle zone, noting the popularity of Chinese automotive brands such as BYD across Central Asia. At the booth of Shenzhen Huaxing New Energy Technology Co., sales director Yang Long reported that home energy storage systems paired with photovoltaic generation drew heavy foot traffic from European and Oceanian clients looking to offset grid expenses. Yang noted that the firm’s overseas business volume doubled in the first three quarters of the year amid surging demand for stable supply chains.
International validation for ecological production standards was reflected across the floor, where green exhibits accounted for 26 percent of total displays—a record high for the event. Inside the CF Award (Design Innovation Award) showroom on the third floor of the Canton Fair Complex, 44 percent of the 222 winning entries incorporated sustainable technologies ranging from photovoltaic curtain walls to sugarcane-based paper and bio-based textiles. Over the past decade, Chinese manufacturers have supplied more than 80 percent of global photovoltaic components and 70 percent of wind power equipment, contributing to declining renewable generation costs worldwide.
Cultural Heritage and Interactive Displays Anchor Human-Centric Focus
Traditional aesthetics met modern robotics during the opening ceremony, where Foshan Wing Chun martial arts inheritor Dong Chonghua performed alongside humanoid robots, engaging international visitors in sparring demonstrations. In Area A, crowds gathered around visitors and expatriates wearing traditional Tang and Song dynasty attire. Pakistani textile trader Leo Usman, a resident of Xi’an for over a decade who also operates a video blog with tens of thousands of overseas followers, praised the hanfu exhibition as a vital window into contemporary cultural presentation.
The exhibition grounds also hosted traditional medicine clinics and culinary showcases. Meanwhile, the "Food in Guangzhou" music and food festival presented 30 intangible cultural heritage projects, including Cantonese opera, olive core carving, and dim sum preparation techniques, allowing global buyers to participate in block printing and tea art workshops.
