On April 23rd, the 135th Canton Fair Phase Ⅱ opened its doors, focusing on household items, gifts and decorations, building materials, and furniture. Jade, an Italian student from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies(GDUFS), was invited by "I See China," the international communication project of Yangcheng Evening News, to serve as a "China explorer." She explored exciting exhibits with reporters.

Can't get enough of Guangdong snacks and tea

Despite heavy rain blanketing Guangzhou in the early hours of the 23rd, it failed to dampen the enthusiasm of merchants from various countries participating in the Canton Fair. By 9 a.m., the Canton Fair Complex was already bustling with buyers from around the world, sporting different skin tones.

Like other exhibitors searching for target products, Jade immediately began scouring the exhibition halls for items of interest. Upon hearing about the kitchenware section, she eagerly made her way there. "As an Italian, I love cooking. However, in Italy, we mostly use traditional kitchenware; today, I want to see what funny and innovative kitchenware the Canton Fair has to offer."

Upon entering the hall, Jade was overwhelmed by the variety of kitchenware on display. Quickly, she set her sights on a booth showcasing coffee pots. In addition to traditional coffee pots, the booth also displayed durable coffee pots with novel designs. The staff enthusiastically introduced the features and usage of the coffee pots to Jade, who asked lots of questions. Upon learning that Jade was Italian, the staff said, "Our products are exported worldwide, and Italy is one of the most important export destinations."

Jade told reporters that besides coffee, she also loves tea. Since coming to China, tea has become an indispensable part of her life. "I love green citrus pu'er tea the most. I was amazed by its taste the first time I tried it." In addition, Jade said she has some understanding of Gongfu tea. "Guangdong's tea and snacks are excellent. I can't live without them now."

Chance encounter with a classmate from GDUFS

During her visit to the fair, a particular "friend" caught Jade's interest. It was a front desk guidance robot capable of providing registration and navigation services in both Chinese and English for attendees. When you stand in front of the robot, it captures your movements and extends its hand for a handshake. Jade enthusiastically interacted with the robot, exclaiming, "The development of technology is truly remarkable!"

Coincidentally, Jade later encountered a human friend. Mohamed, from Yemen, is Jade's classmate at GDUFS. During this year's Canton Fair, Mohamed served as a translator for his Yemeni business friends. Upon seeing Mohamed, Jade was extremely excited. She approached him, greeted him, and engaged in conversation.

At this edition of the Canton Fair, government agencies, financial institutions, and enterprises all made efforts to provide diversified and convenient payment solutions for foreign attendees. Mohamed remarked, "In China, mobile payment is incredibly convenient. The most commonly used payment apps such as Alipay and WeChat Pay have English versions. Alipay even supports linking foreign bank cards, allowing us to use it without opening a Chinese bank account, which is very convenient."

On that morning, the number of buyers and exhibitors at the Canton Fair was beyond Jade's imagination. "This edition of the Canton Fair attracted many more people than when I last attended, and the variety of exhibits is quite extensive. I think the Canton Fair provides an excellent platform for people from around the world to communicate and cooperate face-to-face. I want to explore Phase III of the Canton Fair!" Jade exclaimed.

Source:Yangcheng Evening News

I SEE CHINA｜意大利留学生探访广交会二期偶遇同班同学

4月23日，第135届广交会二期开幕，本期展品主要聚焦家庭用品、礼品及装饰品、建材及家具等。来自意大利的广东外语外贸大学留学生玉洁（Jade）应羊城晚报国际传播项目“I See China”之邀，担任“广交会探‘蜜’官”，与记者共同探寻新鲜好玩的展品。

意大利小姐姐“离不开”广东的点心和茶

23日清晨，广州全城下起大雨，但大雨未能浇灭各国客商参加广交会的热情，早上9时许，琶洲广交会展馆已经聚满了来自世界各地、不同肤色的采购商。

跟参展商寻找目标商品一样，玉洁一到展馆就寻找起感兴趣的展品。当她听说本期展会有厨具展区，就兴奋地直奔目标而去。“我是意大利人，很喜欢做饭，不过在意大利，我们用的厨具大多比较传统；今天我想看看广交会上有什么好玩先进的厨房用品。”

走进展厅，琳琅满目的各类厨具让玉洁目不暇接。很快，她将目光锁定在一家咖啡壶展位。除了传统咖啡手冲壶，该展位还展示有外观新颖、材质耐用的新型咖啡手冲壶。工作人员热心地给玉洁介绍咖啡壶的特点和用法，玉洁不时询问。在听说玉洁是意大利人之后，工作人员说：“我们的产品向世界各地都有出口，意大利更是重要的出口国家之一。”

玉洁告诉记者，除了咖啡之外，她还非常喜欢喝茶，尤其是来到中国之后，茶已经成为她生活中不可缺少的一部分。“我最喜欢小青柑普洱，我第一次喝就被味道惊艳了。”同时，玉洁说自己对工夫茶也有所了解，“广东的茶和点心都很棒，我现在简直离不开它们。”

偶遇广外同学，感叹广交会吸引力

在逛展期间，一位特别的“朋友”引起了玉洁的兴趣。这是一台前台导览机器人，它可以用中英文为客商提供注册、导览等指引服务。当你站在机器人面前，机器人会捕捉你的动作，伸出手与你握手互动。玉洁饶有兴致地与机器人进行了一番互动，不禁感叹：“科技发展真是不得了！”

巧合的是，玉洁随后遇到了一位真朋友。来自也门的穆罕默德是玉洁在广外的同班同学，今年广交会期间，穆罕默德为自己的也门客商朋友担任起了翻译。看到穆罕默德，玉洁非常激动，她上前与穆罕默德打招呼，并跟他交谈起来。

在本届广交会上，政府、金融机构、企业同时发力，为外国客商提供多元化、便利化的支付解决方案。穆罕默德说：“在中国，移动支付真的太方便了。使用最多的支付宝和微信支付都有英文版，而且支付宝还支持绑定外国银行卡，即使不办理中国银行卡也能使用，对我们来说非常友好。”

当天上午，广交会展馆内的采购商和参展商络绎不绝，人数之多超出了玉洁的想象。“本届广交会比我上次来时人多了很多，展品的种类也相当丰富。我觉得广交会为世界各地的人们提供了一个绝佳的平台，让大家有机会面对面地交流合作。广交会三期我还想来！”玉洁说。

文、图｜记者 付怡 赵鹏 曾潇 古司祺
视频剪辑｜黎杰文
翻译 | 刘佳慧