Despite the adverse effects of the global financial crisis, more than 10 million participants are expected to take part in the 11th West Lake International Expo, where foreign assets worth a combined 1 billion dollars will be invited to invest in Hangzhou.

A press conference was held in Beijing to promote the 11th West Lake International Expo.

The expo will be launched between October 17 and November 7 in Hangzhou, located in East China’s Jiangsu province, the Hangzhou government announced at a press conference held in Beijing.

With the theme of “Confident Hangzhou, Quality Expo”, it will feature about 100 different exhibitions, conferences, and cultural and commercial events to display the daily life of local people and the rapid development of the metropolitan city.

Highlights from the event include a gathering for global website operators, expositions of E-life in the US and Hangzhou citizens’ way of financial management, and a modern music concert.

The expo hosted by the Hangzhou People’s Government, is supported by 15 entities, including World Tourism Organization, National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China, General Administration of Sport of China, and Zhengjiang People’s Government.

The first West Lake International Expo was held in 1929. Since 2000, it has been successfully staged for eight consecutive years. The Expo aims to provide "a platform for developing the convention and exhibition industries, a catalyst for cultural and ideological progress, and a festival for ordinary locals as well as tourists from home and abroad". It adheres to the goal of "people first, thrift, virtue and safety", thus securing its role as one of the country’s top conventions and exhibitions.

By Xie Fang