What actually happens at the Canton Fair?
Who runs it, how it's structured into phases, and what separates it from a consumer expo or a single-industry trade show.
The Canton Fair — formally the China Import and Export Fair — is a business-to-business trade fair held twice a year in Guangzhou, organised by the China Foreign Trade Centre. It’s built for wholesale buyers and importers sourcing physical goods across a huge range of categories, not for consumers or general visitors.
Who runs it
The China Foreign Trade Centre, a Chinese state body, organises the fair directly — not a private conference company, and not any individual exhibitor. This site is an independent guide for buyers and isn’t affiliated with the organiser in any capacity.
Where and when
The fair runs at the purpose-built Pazhou complex in Guangzhou, twice a year, with each session split into three sequential phases covering different product categories. The specific dates change every session, which is why they’re shown through a live component elsewhere in this guide rather than written into any page by hand.
What makes it different from other trade fairs
Most single-industry trade shows focus on one sector — electronics, or furniture, or apparel. The Canton Fair instead spans dozens of exhibition sections across three phases, meaning a single event effectively functions as several large sector-specific fairs run back to back at the same venue. This is also why picking the right category and phase matters more here than at a narrower, single-sector show — attending the wrong phase means missing your category entirely, not just seeing less of it.
Who actually attends
Registered wholesale buyers, importers, and distributors sourcing for their own business — covered in more detail on the dedicated page — not the general public and not casual visitors.
What’s next
Read how the three phases are structured, or if you’re ready to plan a visit, start the buyer registration process.
Frequently asked questions
Who organises the Canton Fair?
Where does the Canton Fair take place?
Is the Canton Fair a consumer event?
Keep planning
- Canton Fair BasicsGuides on structure, registration, and preparation, plus an honest answer on whether the trip is worth it for your specific order.
- Canton Fair Phases ExplainedWhy the fair splits into three separate blocks, what each one is themed around, and how to decide which one is yours.
- Who Can Attend the Canton FairWhy it's a trade-only event by design, and what that actually means for a first-time or independent buyer.
- How to Register for the Canton FairWhich physical registration points skip the online review queue entirely, and what changes about the document requirements at each.