Shandong province's 23 time-honored brands received a large number of windfall orders during the second China International Import Expo (CIIE), although they originally planned to merely display their products, with no intention of selling them.

A dazzling display of Shandong province's time-honored brands and unique intangible cultural heritage items, including Dezhou braised chicken, Zhoucun sesame seed cake, and Zibo ceramics, were so well-received by businessmen from all over the world that they received numerous orders despite not being for sale at the expo.

Yefengsu, a food company that produces Shandong-style snacks and specialties based in Jinan, signed several cooperation agreements with Lagardere Services China (Shanghai) Co, a subsidiary of French travel retail giant Lagardere Group, during the expo.

According to Yefengsu, the agreement will help bring its products to the global market and facilitate more opportunities for cooperation between Lagardere and Shandong time-honored brands.

Jiwenzhai, a time-honored silver pot brand based in Haiyang, Shandong, received more than 300,000 yuan in orders during the expo.

"This is the first time Jiwenzhai has attended the expo. We originally wanted to simply market our brand, so we did not bring many products," said Jiang Weiqing, manager of Jiwenzhai.

"However, I found that CIIE is a great platform full of business opportunities. We have found many clients and our products have sparked heated discussion and keen interest among many foreign visitors. This will help us expand into overseas markets."

The second CIIE, which was held from Nov 5 to 10 in Shanghai, attracted more than 3,800 companies from all over the world and had a total exhibition area of more than 360,000 square meters.

More than $71.13 billion in intended deals were reached during the six-day expo, up 23 percent from the first expo, according to the CIIE Bureau.

The expo was visited more than 900,000 times, achieving nationwide influence.

A colored glaze ware in the shape of a pomegranate from Zibo, Shandong is exhibited during the second China International Import Expo. Zibo is the birthplace of ceramic glaze and China's main production and export center for glass and daily ceramics. [Photo by VCG]

Visitors are fascinated by a Shandong pancake, a classic Shandong snack, during the second CIIE. [Photo by VCG]

Shandong province's time-honored brands are displayed at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai. [Photo by VCG]