Nineteen characteristic service companies and time-honored brands in North China's Shanxi province were seeking opportunities in cultural trade at a service trade fair that opened in Beijing on May 28.

These companies, representing the cultural creativity, publishing media, and traditional Chinese medicine industries, are exhibiting Shanxi's deep historical content, traditional culture, and latest achievements in those sectors.

Their displays include papermaking, printing, embroidery, paper cutting, wood ware, lacquer ware sculpture, 3D films and television products, and traditional Chinese medicine over a 60-square-meter area.

A visitor from the tourist industry in the Czech Republic, Katerina Konnecna, said she was really interested in Shanxi's paper cutting and would like to find opportunities to visit the province and learn more.

Wang Yixin, vice-governor of Shanxi, said while visiting the Shanxi's display that trade in services and processing adds potential to the province's foreign trade development. He said Shanxi needs to advance trade in the cultural sector, traditional Chinese medicine, and arts and crafts in addition to traditional tourism and building services.

Shanxi should attract leading service outsourcing companies in information technology, financial services, and supply chains to invest in Shanxi and promote its advantages in international markets.

Shanxi companies took part in the fair's opening ceremony and will attend a summit forum, a round-table meeting for China's Brands, a seminar on?traditional Chinese medicine?service and product sales models, and a Chinese?medicine?service financing seminar.

"We highlighted cultural industry in this year's exhibition, the fourth time Shanxi has participated in the CIFTIS," said Sun Yuejin, head of the Commerce Department of Shanxi province, noting that Shanxi hopes to increase domestic and global awareness of its products and services.

The fourth China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services, also known as the Beijing Fair or CIFTIS, is welcoming about 1,000 domestic and overseas companies and more than 20,000 visitors to share their experiences in 12 trade and services sectors, including business, communication, building, sales, education, and environmental services. The fair will run until June 1.