The 9th China ( Luohe ) International Food Expo 2011

Malaysian Pavilion

The Fonz participated in the 9^th China ( Luohe ) International Food Expo 2011 in Henan Province, Central Plain, China. The expo was officially held from 15^th to 18^th of May 2011. The Malaysian delegation was headed and jointly organized by the Northern Corridor Economic Region ( NCER ) Malaysia, Penang Port Commission, D’nonce  and Halal Development Corporation ( HDC ). There was a big Malaysian Pavilion at the expo. About 30 Malaysian companies took part in the expo. Most of them are from the North. Luohe is a city in Henan Province of North Central China.  The name Luohe as told by a friend there, is actually a new defined name meaning seafood. Luohe is famous for food

Opening Day

Henan has seen rapid development in its economy over the past two decades, and its economy has expanded at an even faster rate than the national average of 10%. This rapid growth has transformed Henan from one of the poorest provinces to one that matches other central provinces, though still relatively impoverished on a national scale. In 2009, Henan’s nominal GDP was 2.29 trillion RMB (US$339 billion), making it the fifth largest economy in China, although it rank nineteen in terms of GDP per capita. Henan is a semi-industrialized economy with an underdeveloped service sector. In 2009, Henan’s primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 277 billion RMB (US$40 billion), 1.097 trillion RMB (US$160 billion), and 563 billion RMB (US$82 billion), respectively. Agriculture has traditionally been a pillar of its economy, with the nation’s highest wheat and sesame output and second highest rice output, earning its reputation as the breadbasket of China. Henan is also an important producer of beef, cotton, maize,  and corn. It is said that 90% of Chinese McDonald’s and KFC ingredients comes from Henan.

ZhengZhou Airport

The last time the Fonz visited China was in 2006 ( Shanghai areas ). This time, the Fonz was told that the weather would be hot in the afternoon around 36 celcius but cooler in the morning and evening. The Fonz and partner took a flight on Southern China Airlines from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to GuangZhou Baiyun International Airport on Saturday 14^th May. The 4-hour flight was ok  . Then we took a 2-hour flight to ZhengZhou International Airport, Henan Province. From the ZhengZhou International Airport, we were picked-up by coaches provided the Government of Luohe to JingYue Hotel in Luohe City. The 2-hour ride on the high way made me remember the state of Kedah in Malaysia. The only difference is in Kedah, we can see paddy plants  along the high way but in Henan, we can see wheat. Our group of about 80 entrepreuners and staff were treated with Central China dishes after we arrived at the hotel. The hotel was run by a Chinese Muslim. Most of us went to sleep early that night. And, most of us were given a shock the next morning. When we woke up, the sun was shining. We thought we over slept but when we looked at the time, it was only 5.50 am. We were used to the full morning sunshine at 7.30 am in Malaysia. We spent most of Sunday preparing the booths. Many things were  not yet in order. The day was hot and dry.

Waiting for the bus at Hotel Lobby

Many of us could not speak Chinese but fortunately the organizer provided  a few university students who studied English language to assist us. One of them was Sophia or her real name Liu Chuan. She became our translator for the whole 3 days. This 20-year old University of Luohe girl was  very energetic and smart. She could handle the crowd well. When she was around, the booth was very much alive with her friends, teachers and what have you  . I think she could be a good marketing and sales person.

Sophia at work

On the second night, after the welcoming dinner by the Mayor of Luohe,  the Fonz and some friends went out to explore Luohe City.

Welcoming dinner by the Mayor of Luohe

We were told by some of our adventurous friends ( they already explored the city the night we arrived ) that there were many night markets on the city streets. Most of the department stores, specialized stores and super markets close at 9 pm. Some of our female friends have good experience in bargaining at night markets. They visited China many times before.

The Fonz on Da Street

Poco-Poco Dance on the street

The Fonz will never forget about the traffic in Luohe. Seemed like traffic rules are not that important but there was no accident. We tried the motorized trishaw ride from the night market back to the hotel. We never stopped laughing from the moment the trishaws started the journey until we arrived at the hotel. It was only 10 minutes and ten minutes was enough. The drivers in Luohe, especially taxis and buses,  loved to use the the car horns all the time. Once the Fonz was talking on the phone to Malaysia, my wife asked what was going on, was it a fiesta? Why was the sound of car horn never stop? . The Fonz said Yes the fiesta on the road by the drivers 

Other Booths

In my opinion, the Expo was good and we had a lot of inquiries from the Chinese traders and importers. The experience was very beneficial to us.

Girls on Promotion of products

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