The exhibition area for time-honored Ningbo brands. Photo by Yan Jin
From Nov. 5 to 10, the fifth China International Import Expo (hereinafter referred to “CIIE”) was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). It is a global stage for commodity trade and economic and cultural exchanges worldwide.
11月5日-10日，第五届中国国际进口博览会(以下简称“进博会”)在国家会展中心(上海)举办。进博会为世界各国的商品贸易和全球经济文化交流提供了大平台。
Ningbo launched its city image exhibition featuring “the decade of forging ahead” in the “four-leaf clover” (National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai). Time-honored brands are collectively presented in the Ningbo exhibition zone, diffusing traditional local culture.
本届进博会上，宁波推出主题为“这十年·甬向前”的城市形象展，把“宁波展区”搬到“四叶草”，还专门设立“宁波老字号展区”，传播宁波的“老底子”文化。
The household brands on exhibition include Gangyagou Tangyuan, Yinfa Pickled Vegetable, Liyang Liquor, Laoxijiang Mat, and Shouquanzhai Ginger Tea, all familiar to Ningbo natives. This time they are on the world stage at CIIE.
缸鸭狗汤圆、引发雪菜、力洋酒业、老席匠凉席、寿全斋姜茶……提起宁波老字号，每位土生土长的宁波人，定会想到一长串名单。它们都在本届进博会的“宁波老字号”展区亮相，登上世界的舞台。
“Today we have received a lot of business inquiries! People tend to associate Ningbo with Tangyuan and thus grow curious about the ‘Gangyagou’ brand. We naturally start with the stories of the brand and its founder who was nicknamed ‘Jiangagou’ (‘Gangyagou’ in local dialect) and how we bring forth new craftsmanship on the basis of preserving the traditional ones.” Zheng Jiale, a staff member of Ningbo Gangyagou Food Co., Ltd., told Ningbo Evening News.
“今天我们收获了不少客商咨询！大家一提到宁波就想到汤圆，对‘缸鸭狗’充满好奇。我们从‘缸鸭狗’得名于创始人的小名’江阿狗’讲起，谈到我们如何在保留古法工艺的基础上推陈出新。”宁波缸鸭狗食品有限公司工作人员郑佳乐道出参展心得。
It was beyond Zheng’s expectation that Ningbo Tangyuan was gaining exceptional popularity at this CIIE. A “China-savvy” Polish visitor came to her booth speaking highly of the pragmatic spirit of Ningbo businessmen. Some domestic businesspeople who had been to Ningbo and tasted “Gangyagou” praised: “Never expected that this traditional tangyuan was so delicious” …
通过进博会，郑佳乐发现宁波汤圆比她想象的更“出圈”。一位来自波兰的“中国通”到她的展位，连声为宁波商人“能够把事情做好”的务实精神点赞；更有来过宁波、尝过“缸鸭狗”的国内客商表示，“没想到老牌子的汤圆这么好吃”……
To revitalize time-honored brands, enterprises in Ningbo have innovated their products and sales channels. For example, “Gangyagou” has offered mustard-sweet glutinous rice balls which seem a bit bizarre, but it has gone viral among young people. “Laoxijiang” has introduced a line of cooling mats made of a novel material.
为了让老字号焕发新活力，宁波的品牌商纷纷秀出产品创新、渠道创新的“组合拳”。缸鸭狗带来一款清甜芥末小汤圆，这种看似“黑暗料理”的产品，实为深受年轻人喜爱的网红爆款；而隔壁的老席匠凉席则推出“凉卡”系列清凉神器。
“These mats bring more coolness on hot summer days with their unique cool fiber fabric. They can also be folded and machine-washed. The bamboo pattern on these mats was inspired by Ningbo's East China Bamboo Forest. In the future, we plan to integrate the charm of the ancient Song Dynasty into our products.” Wang Xuehong, deputy general manager of Ningbo Huaye Material Technology Co., Ltd., told the journalist that the Expo offers a great opportunity for her to meet more distributors and promote the reputation of Ningbo brands.
“这款凉席独创凉感纤维面料，能给夏日送上清凉，还可以折叠放进洗衣机，上面的竹子纹饰取自宁波的浙东大竹海，未来还可以植入宋韵文化。”老席匠品牌方——宁波华业纤维科技有限公司副总经理王雪红告诉记者，进博会有望让她结识更多渠道商，提升宁波品牌的知名度。
As time-honored brands were displayed, the Ningbo exhibition zone – located in the comprehensive exhibition area of the CIIE – was embracing visitors worldwide to present the city as an international hub. CHINA-BASE Ningbo Foreign Trade Co. Ltd., a well-known comprehensive service platform for foreign trade, took this chance to showcase the metaverse virtual exhibition hall for foreign trader personnel on site.
在老字号们讲好宁波故事之际，位于进博会综合展示区的“宁波展区”正静候八方来客，展示宁波国际开放枢纽之都的城市形象。宁波知名外贸综合服务平台——中基惠通借机把面向外贸人的元宇宙虚拟展厅搬到进博会现场。
The journalist managed to grill a steak on the outdoor camping oven virtually when wearing the VR glasses. Shen Luming, the visual director of the CHINA-BASE Ningbo Foreign Trade Co. Ltd., revealed to the journalist that even foreign traders who are thousands of miles away can perform remote interactions with Chinese enterprises in this way, making the virtual exhibition more appealing.
记者戴上VR眼镜体验了一把，成功将一块“牛排”放上“户外露营的烤炉”，很快就煮熟了。中基惠通视觉总监沈露明告诉记者，即便是远隔千里的外商，也能用这种方式和中国企业远程互动，让“永不落幕的云展厅”更有趣味性。
Meanwhile, some other Ningbo elements cannot be missed. A sand table showcasing a nautical port from China Mobile is included in the exhibition zone. This allows visitors to simulate the process of loading and unloading containers in the world's largest port, Ningbo Zhoushan Port. There is also a leading Ningbo manufacturing enterprise with the NMR 1.5T liquid helium-free superconducting magnet system product model from Ningbo Jansen Superconducting Technologies Co., Ltd. In addition, “imported specialties” from Central and Eastern Europe countries (CEEC) were unveiled at CIIE.
同时，宁波展区还设有中国移动智慧港口沙盘，点击按钮即可模拟世界第一大港——宁波舟山港装卸集装箱的场景，更有宁波制造业硬核力量的代表——宁波健信核磁1.5T无液氦超导磁体系统产品模型，以及中东欧的“洋特产”亮相。
Reporter: Yan Jin
Translators: Mei Jie and Zhou Shiyi (Intern)
Proofreaders: PuYang Rong, Fan Yeping, Jason Mowbray