每年春秋两季，广州都会迎来一场盛大的聚会。这就是中国进出口商品交易会，简称“广交会”。
从1957年创办至今，广交会已经走过近70年历史。
Every spring and autumn, Guangzhou welcomes a grand gathering. This is the China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the "Canton Fair."
Since its establishment in 1957, the Canton Fair has spanned nearly 70 years.
1957年，新中国刚刚成立不久，西方国家对中国实行经济封锁。为了打破封锁、获取外汇，中国政府决定在广州创办一个出口商品展览会。
广州毗邻港澳、华侨众多，是当时的最佳选择。
第一届广交会仅有13个外贸公司参展，展览面积1.8万平方米，成交额约1800万美元。但在当时，这已经是一个了不起的成就。
In 1957, shortly after the founding of New China, Western countries imposed an economic blockade on China. To break the blockade and earn foreign exchange, the Chinese government decided to establish an export commodities exhibition in Guangzhou.
Guangzhou, close to Hong Kong and Macau and with a large overseas Chinese population, became the best choice.
At the first Canton Fair, only 13 foreign trade corporations participated, with an exhibition area of 18,000 square meters and a transaction volume of about 18 million USD. Even so, it was already a remarkable achievement at that time.
第一届广交会旧照
Historical Photo of the First Canton Fair
从此，广交会每年春秋两届，从未中断。它成为中国对外开放的一扇窗口、一扇门。
Since then, the Canton Fair has been held twice a year without interruption.It became a window—and a door—for China’s opening to the world.
经过数十年的发展，广交会已从单一的出口商品展，成长为全球规模最大的综合性贸易盛会之一。
如今，每届广交会：
数万家企业参展
展览面积超过100万平方米
来自200多个国家和地区的采购商
成交额以百亿美元计。
After decades of development, the Canton Fair has evolved from a simple export exhibition into one of the world’s largest comprehensive trade events.
Today, each session features:
Tens of thousands of enterprises
Over 1 million square meters of exhibition space
Buyers from over 200 countries and regions
Transaction volume reaches tens of billions of US dollars.
展品也从最初的农副产品、轻工业品，扩展到机电产品、高新技术产品以及服务贸易等领域。
可以说，在这里能看到“中国制造”的完整图景。
Exhibits have expanded from agricultural and light industrial products to machinery, high-tech products, and trade in services.
It offers a full picture of “Made in China.”
广交会对广州的影响是深远的。
The impact of the Canton Fair on Guangzhou is profound.
每届广交会都会吸引数十万外商来到广州，带动酒店、餐饮、交通、旅游等行业发展。广交会期间，酒店价格上涨，餐厅一座难求。
Each session brings hundreds of thousands of foreign businessmen boosting hotels, dining, transportation, and tourism.
During the Fair, hotel prices rise and restaurants are fully booked.
广交会让广州成为中国对外开放的象征。很多外国人第一次来到中国，就是从广州开始。他们对中国的第一印象，也来自广交会。
更重要的是，广交会塑造了广州的城市气质：开放、包容、务实、创新。
The Fair has made Guangzhou a symbol of China’s openness. For many foreigners, their first trip to China begins in Guangzhou. Their first impression of China often comes from the Fair.
More importantly, it has shaped the city’s character: Openness, inclusiveness, pragmatism, and innovation.
在广交会的历史中，有许多动人的故事。
有人通过广交会，把产品卖向世界，从小作坊成长为跨国企业。
有人在这里遇见人生伴侣，成就跨国姻缘。
也有人把青春奉献给广交会，见证中国外贸的崛起。
这些故事，构成了广交会的人文底蕴，也成为广州的城市记忆。
There are many touching stories throughout its history.
Some entrepreneurs sold their products globally through the Fair and grew from small workshops into multinational corporations.
Some found their life partners here and built cross-border families.
Others dedicated their youth to the Fair and witnessed the rise of China’s foreign trade.
These stories form its humanistic foundation and the urban memory of Guangzhou.
随着互联网的发展，广交会也在不断创新。近年来，广交会推出线上展会、线上对接会等新形式。疫情期间，更是完全转为线上举办，开创了“云广交”的模式。
但无论形式如何变化，它是中国与世界沟通的桥梁，也是广州开放精神的象征。
With the development of the Internet, the Canton Fair continues to innovate. In recent years, it has introduced online exhibitions and virtual matchmaking.
During the pandemic, it even moved entirely online, creating the “Cloud Canton Fair.”
Yet no matter how it evolves, its core value remains unchanged: a bridge between China and the world, and a symbol of Guangzhou’s openness.
