Visitors at the 2023 Maritime Silk Road Culture and Tourism Expo held at the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center. [Photo/WeChat account: nbfb0574]

The 2023 Maritime Silk Road Culture and Tourism Expo (NBCTE) concluded on July 3 at the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center, delivering outstanding results.

Over the course of four days, the event attracted a total of 53,200 visitors, with a peak daily attendance of 17,000 people. On-site transactions amounted to 328 million yuan ($45.35 million), while the intended transaction volume reached an impressive 793 million yuan. Additionally, the expo saw the signing of 37 project agreements, with a cumulative contract value of 21.98 billion yuan, a record high.

Spanning four exhibition halls and covering a massive 25,000 square meters, NBCTE hosted over 160 participating enterprises, including 16 industry leaders.

More than a dozen countries, including France, Italy, Indonesia, and Japan, as well as nearly 20 cities from across China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Quanzhou, Beihai, Shaoxing, and Jiaxing, participated in the expo.

Notably, this marked the first time that historical cities along the Maritime Silk Road, including Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and Beihai, have gathered in Ningbo.

Ningbo also highlighted its support and cooperation with other regions, such as Liangshan in Sichuan, Kuche in Xinjiang, and Tianjun in Qinghai, through the "east-west" cooperation program initiated by the central government. These regions showcased their distinct cultures and products, further strengthening the collaborative spirit of the expo.

Expo-goers were also treated to a visual bonanza, as a grand exhibition featuring Chinese historical paintings, the largest cultural special exhibition in Ningbo's history, was staged simultaneously.