More than 600 domestic and overseas exhibitors started displaying the latest in furniture yesterday as the 12th China International Furniture Fair (Guangzhou) opened in the capital of South China's Guangdong Province.

The fair is due to last until Thursday and is sponsored by the China Foreign Trade Centre (Group).

The exhibitors come from more than 20 Chinese provinces and regions and from 13 foreign countries. They have brought office furniture, home textiles, furniture accessories and components and interior furnishings to the fair.

Market insiders said the event will greatly help China's furniture industry regain its momentum in the wake of the SARS epidemic.

Jia Qingwen, director-general of the China National Furniture Association, said: "As one of China's most important post-SARS international furniture fairs as well as one of the nation's largest furniture fairs, the event will be a golden opportunity for the nation's furniture exporters to get out of the doldrums caused by the SARS epidemic.''

Several exhibitors told China Daily that they expect to secure deals to make up for the losses during the period from February to June, when China was working all out to keep the potentially fatal disease under control.

Dai Xinguo -- general manager of the China Foreign-Trade Guangzhou Exhibition Corp, which is hosting the fair -- said the organizer has worked hard to invite professional buyers to the fair by focusing advertising on North America, Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea and the Middle East, while continuing to launch promotional campaigns at globally renowned furniture fairs abroad.

"The efforts are paying off,'' he said. "The large number of professional buyers present at the fair will fortify the fair's position as one of the most important export-orientated furniture fairs.''

More than 5,000 overseas buyers are expected to attend the event.

Dai said a series of supplementary seminars is expected to promote exchange and co-operation in the furniture industry at home and abroad.

Also taking place at the same time at the Chinese Export Commodities Fair Complex is the Hometextile China 2003 exhibition. Some 150 renowned exhibitors are showing off their latest curtains, bed coverings, furniture fabrics, upholstery and other fabrics.

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