• The International Network SIAL: Paris – Canada – Mercosur – Middle East
• The unique trade show with a perfect mix of 50% international exhibitors and 50% national exhibitors
• Shanghai, the new worldwide Capital.
• Recognized, qualitative and numerous Events
• Strong domestic and international professional visitors
• The presence of all the major Chinese players of the Food & Beverage market in China

8th Oil China 2012 will be held in Beijing during 23rd – 25th of April, 2012. Oil China will play an important role in promoting higher end oil consumption, thus bring additional business opportunities for exhibitors. A series of activities have been devised to give you more opportunities to demonstrate your products, gain insight to Chinese market and close sales. Oil China, under the amazing potential market environment, supported by domestic and international enterprises with the professional organization offering: generate publicity, demonstrate products, build business communities, increase sales, meet new prospects, develop relationships with your customers, professional industry learning, and etc. Also Oil China will use different channel to promote the products suit to the target customer following the edible oil classification. Make sure every target customer get right information to maximize supporting and enriching the industry. As one of the food with nutrition value, olive oil is more and more welcome in China. At present more than 200-brand olive oil appears in Chinese olive oil market, which nearly 100% import from Spain, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Tunis, Portugal, Jordan, Australia and so on.

The main consumption cities of olive oil are Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Tianjin and other large and middle cities. According to the following graph, since 2004 the average proportion of import olive oil has been keeping the increases nearly 60% per year. With the same rate till to 2010 that World Expo will be held in Shanghai it will be over 25,000 tons. Along with the upgrade of the living level of Chinese people with the progress of health consciousness, olive oil will have the larger scale in Chinese edible oil market.

Participate in one of the largest exhibitions in China with IECGC or your exhibition booth. For more informations contact us.

• 1,520 exhibitors from 76 countries and regions

• 60,000 sqm exhibition space

• 29 international pavilions:  France – USA – Malaysia – Brazil – Morocco – Tunisia – Turkey – Uruguay – Portugal – Argentina – Netherlands – Spain – Ireland – Poland – Greece – Germany – Italy …

• 28 Chinese provinces and regions

• 33,265 Visitors

• 9 Products Zones: Wine & Spirits, Dairy, Sweets & Confectionery, Organic, Gourmet, Tea & Coffee, Halal, Frozen Food, Canned & Preserved food.

China Snack Food was organised by the European Snacks Association (ESA) and by CFNA – the China Chamber of Commerce for Import & Export of Foodstuffs. It took place on September 15 – 17, 2011 at the China National  Convention Centre in Beijing, China.

Olive Oil

A significant number of the exhibitors were olive oil and wine importers. The main countries that these companies were trading with, were Italy, Spain and Turkey. Italy, in particular, has developed lately some very sophisticated distribution networks in order to export olive oil to the Chinese market.

During the exhibition, as well as after its conclusion, our Institute made a lot of meetings with selected importing companies. Of particular interest were the meetings with Chinese companies which import olive oil from Greece and Italy.

During the last few years the main exporting country of olive oil to the Chinese market is Italy, mainly because it’s cheaper than the corresponding Greek products.

Many companies showed an interest in importing Greek olive oil, many of which knew about it’s distinct quality, and they expressed interest in further discussions and negotiations.

Wine

As long as wine is concerned, the largest percentage of companies are importing wine mainly from France and Spain. In our meetings with Chinese wine importing companies, there was a significant interest by the Chinese side to import Greek wine products.

Other products

A lot of exhibitors were importers of biscuits, crackers, croutons, nuts and other related products.

No Greek companies participated in the exhibition. On the contrary many companies from Europe were from Italy and Spain. A lot of them stated that while their countries were in the middle of an economic crisis, exhibitions like the present one especially in a country like China, were a tremendous help in their exporting activities. For the majority of them it was not the first time they participated in that particular exhibition or in other relevant trade shows in China.

It became a “Soho-esque” area of international character, replete with “loft living,” attracting attention from all around. Bringing together contemporary art, architecture, and culture with a historically interesting location and an urban lifestyle, “798″ has evolved into a cultural concept, of interest to experts and normal folk alike, influential on our concepts of both urban culture and living space.

Having a history of 160 years, it has created many ‘firsts’ in Chinese dramas: the abundance of repertoires, the number of artists, opera troupes and spectators.

Beijing Opera is developed from absorbing many other dramatic forms, mostly from the local drama ‘Huiban’ which was popular in South China during the 18th century. It is a scenic art integrating music, performance, literature, aria, and face-painting. Certain rules are set up and regulations are standardized during many artists’ long practice on stage. Different from regional plays, it is stricter on the variety of the workmanship. The combination of virtual and reality – a special technique of expression, keeps it largely free from the restriction of time and space on stage performance. Beijing Opera has had many interesting names since it came into being, such as Jinghuang, Daxi, Pingju, Jingxi.

Peking opera was denounced as ‘feudalistic’ and ‘bourgeoise’ during the Cultural Revolution, and replaced with the eight revolutionary model operas as a means of propaganda and indoctrination^. After the Cultural Revolution, these transformations were largely undone. In recent years, Peking opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to sagging audience numbers. These reforms, which include improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, and performing new and original plays, have met with mixed success.

During the second half of the 20th century, Peking opera witnessed a steady decline in audience numbers. This has been attributed both to a decrease in performance quality and an inability of the traditional opera form to capture modern life. Furthermore, the archaic language of Peking opera required productions to utilize electronic subtitles, which hampered the development of the form. The influence of Western culture has also left the younger generations impatient with the slow pacing of Peking opera.

In addition to its presence in Mainland China, Peking opera has spread to many other places. It can be found in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese communities elsewhere. Mei Lanfang, one of the most famous Dan performers of all time, was also one of the greatest popularizers of Peking opera abroad. During the 1920s, he performed Peking opera in Japan. This inspired an American tour in February 1930. Although some, such as the actor Otis Skinner, believed that Peking opera could never be a success in the United States, the favorable reception of Lanfang and his troupe in New York City disproved this notion. The performances had to be relocated from the 49th Street Theater to the larger National Theater, and the duration of the tour extended from two weeks to five.

Shaolin Kung Fu refers to a collection of Chinese martial arts that claim affiliation with the Shaolin Monastery. Of the tens of thousands of kung fu and wushu styles, several hundred might have some relationship to Shaolin.

It has been since then that Shaolin has been popularly synonymous for what are considered the external Chinese martial arts, regardless of whether or not the particular style in question has any connection to the Shaolin Monastery. Some say that there is no differentiation between the so-called internal and external systems of the Chinese martial arts, while other well-known teachers have expressed differing opinions. For example, the Taijiquan teacher Wu Jianquan.

Some lineages of Karate have oral traditions that claim Shaolin origins. Martial arts traditions in Japan and Korea, and Southeast Asia cite Chinese influence as transmitted by Buddhist monks.

Recent developments in the 20th century such as Shorinji Kempo practised in Japan’s Sohonzan Shorinji still maintains close ties with China’s Song Shan Shaolin Temple due to historic links. Japanese Shorinji Kempo Group financial contributions to the maintenance of the historic edifice of the Song Shan Shaolin Temple in 2003 received China’s recognition.

Chinese scholars have claimed the oldest known noodles were found in China at the Qijia culture Lajia site in Qinghai, Shandong province. The 4,000-year-old noodles appear to have been made from foxtail millet and broomcorn millet. This find, however, is disputed by many experts who suspect its authenticity. Chinese archaeologists claim the evidence disintegrated shortly after discovery, making the evidence unverifiable. Tarim Basin, a desert region in Central Asia and currently part of China’s Xinjiang autonomous province, has been suggested as the likely place of origin of noodles, where it remains to be the staple food of Central Asians in the region.

The Terracotta Army or the “Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses”, is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.

The figures vary in height, according to their roles, with the tallest being the generals. The figures include warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen and musicians. Current estimates are that in the three pits containing the Terracotta Army there were over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses, the majority of which are still buried in the pits.

The Terracotta Army was discovered in the spring of 1974 in the eastern suburbs of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province by a group of farmers who were digging a water well 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of Mount Li (Lishan).

According to historian Sima Qian (145-90 BC), construction of this mausoleum began in 246 BC and involved 700,000 workers. Geographer Li Daoyuan, six centuries after the death of the First Emperor, explained that Mount Li had been chosen as a site for its auspicious geology: it once had a gold mine on its north face and a jade mine on its south face, demonstrating not only its sacred value, but also perhaps how the tunnels had come to be dug in the first place.

Qin Shi Huang was 13 when construction began. He specifically stated that no two soldiers were to be made alike, which is most likely why he had construction started at that young age. Sima Qian, in his most famous work, Shiji, completed a century after the mausoleum completion, wrote that the First Emperor was buried with palaces, scenic towers, officials, valuable utensils and “wonderful objects,” with 100 rivers fashioned in mercury and above this heavenly bodies below which he wrote were “the features of the earth.” Some translations of this passage refer to “models” or “imitations,” but he does not use those words.

Recent scientific work at the site has shown high levels of mercury in the soil on and around Mount Li, appearing to add credence to Sima Qian’s writings. The tomb of Shi Huangdi is under an earthen pyramid 76 meters tall and nearly 350 square meters. The tomb remains unopened, in the hope that it will remain intact. Archaeologists are afraid that if they do excavate the tomb, they might damage some of the valuables buried with emperor Qin Shi Huangdi. Only a portion of the site is presently excavated, and photos and video recordings are prohibited in some areas of the viewing. Only few foreigners, such as Queen Elizabeth II, have been permitted to walk through the pits, side by side to the army.

The terracotta army figures were manufactured in workshops by government laborers and by local craftsmen. The head, arms, legs and torsos were created separately and then assembled. Studies show that eight face moulds were most likely used, and then clay was added to provide individual facial features. Once assembled, intricate features such as facial expressions were added. It is believed that their legs were made in much the same way that terracotta drainage pipes were manufactured at the time. This would make it an assembly line production, with specific parts manufactured and assembled after being fired, as opposed to crafting one solid piece and subsequently firing it. In those times of tight imperial control, each workshop was required to inscribe its name on items produced to ensure quality control. This has aided modern historians in verifying that workshops that once made tiles and other mundane items were commandeered to work on the terracotta army. Upon completion, the terracotta figures were placed in the pits in precise military formation according to rank and duty.

The terracotta figures are life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The coloured lacquer finish, individual facial features, and actual weapons and armor from battle used in manufacturing these figures created a realistic appearance. The original weapons were stolen by robbers shortly after the creation of the army and the colouring has faded greatly. However, their existence serves as a testament to the amount of labor and skill involved in their construction. It also reveals the power the First Emperor possessed, enabling him to command such a monumental undertaking.