People shop at the first Artificial Flowers Fair in Yiwu. [Photo/Yiwu Media Center]

Yiwu in East China's Zhejiang province will host nine trade fairs and expos in the next two months, according to local media outlets.

The 17th National Wedding Supplies, Celebration Supplies, Artificial Flowers and Decoration Props (Yiwu) Trade Fair, also known as the Artificial Flowers Fair, is set to take place on Feb 21 at the Yiwu International Expo Center.

The fair, which is the first offline event of its kind in Yiwu in 2023, will feature over 500 participating companies from across the country and showcase the latest in artificial plants and flowers, wedding supplies and more.

According to Yang Jian, general manager of Shandong Yacheng Exhibition Services Co, the fair will be held in four halls this year, up from three halls in 2021. The exhibition area will span over 40,000 square meters, with 1,600 international standard booths available to exhibitors.

In 2021, the first Artificial Flowers Fair in Yiwu attracted over 11,000 professional buyers and resulting in over 320 million yuan ($47.17 million) in on-site transactions, according to Yang. This year's fair is expected to be even more successful, as the Yiwu market is currently thriving and attracting both domestic and international buyers.

The 30th Yiwu Homeware Expo, 2023 Yiwu Sports and Leisure Products Expo, 2023 China Yiwu Automobile and Motorcycle Accessories (Spring) Fair and other expos will also be held soon.