The first Suzhou International Tourism Expo was unveiled in the Suzhou International Expo Center on April 12. The tourism expo is an important part of the 17th Suzhou International Tourism Festival, presenting a colorful showcase of various tourism resources of Suzhou and other cities. The three-day expo welcomed 21,300 visitors and buyers in the first day.Covering an area of 17,000 square meters, the expo offered over 550 booths for 200 exhibitors from Suzhou and other regions, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hainan, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia.

The Suzhou exhibition areas adopted Suzhou-style decorations. The pavilion of Suzhou classic gardens decorated its exhibition hall based on the Humble Administrator’s Garden. The ancient buildings, flower windows, stone bridges and lotuses in the river showcased Suzhou’s distinctive culture.

In addition to the promotion of tourism routes, scenic spots and handicrafts, the pavilions highlighted the local food and specialty products, such as Gusu’s peach-stone carving and sandalwood fans; Xiangcheng’s ship models, straw weaving, pearls and Suzhou-style brick-carving; Wujiang’s silk products; Taihu Lake’s biluochun (a special brand of green tea); Changshu’s beggar’s chicken; and Zhangjiagang’s wild ducks.

The event also included many brilliant performances, including Suzhou’s guzheng (Chinese zither), pingtan (a form of storytelling and ballad performance in the Suzhou dialect), water town puppet play and art performances, Inner Mongolian folk performances, Guizhou’s nuo dance (a traditional folk custom to exorcise devils and pray for blessings), and Miao customs and performances.

 During the expo, several tourist agencies provided discounts for some tour routes, attracting 112 visitors to travel along the routes despite the rainy weather.