This is the sixth time for the Central China Expo, formally known as the Central China Investment and Trade Exposition, which runs Sept 26 to Sept 28.

It has previously been hosted by Changsha, capital of Hunan province; Zhengzhou, Henan province; Wuhan, Hubei province; Hefei, in Anhui province; and Nanchang, Jiangxi province.

This year's event is being sponsored by the Shanxi commerce department, Taiyuan municipal government, and the Ministry of Commerce's Investment Promotion Agency.

The expo is considered a measure of the central government's success in reaching its goal of "raising" Central China".

The six provinces have a combined population of 361 million and cover a 1.03-million-square-kilometer area. The region provides a connection between the western and eastern parts of the country well as the North and South.

It has plenty of natural, cultural and tourist resources, and is fairly strong in scientific research and industrial development.

It is also one of the major agricultural producers, as well as a supplier of energy and raw materials.

The first expo was held in 2006. Altogether, the five expos have brought 287,000 foreign business people together, and have brought in $42.6 billion worth of foreign investment. It has also seen $4.74 billion worth of contracts signed, proving that it is the grandest and most influential fair in the region.