The full name of the Canton Fair was the China Import and Export Fair. It was held in both spring and autumn, with different focuses each season. Since it was held in Guangzhou and the name carried auspicious connotations, it was simply called the Canton Fair.
Many countries came to exhibit, making it a massive event. Especially after China normalized relations with the United States and Japan, many countries from Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea came to participate, along with numerous other Asian and African nations.
Whenever this time came around, Guangzhou became particularly lively, with foreigners darting about everywhere on the streets.
The accommodations for foreign guests were naturally quite good. The Oriental Hotel, Guangzhou Hotel, Overseas Chinese Hotel, Aiqun Building, and other such places housed foreign guests and overseas Chinese merchants from Europe, America, Japan, South Korea, and elsewhere.
The ones paying were the bosses, after all, so naturally they had to be properly looked after. Besides, foreign guests really did spend a lot. Accommodation alone cost no small sum.
By comparison, the domestic companies participating in the exhibition did not receive such good treatment. Especially this year, with foreign trade reforms combining several departments into the Ministry of Economic and Trade while devolving foreign trade authority to the provinces, it was no longer the old planned system. Each province now arranged its own exhibitors.
There were also more domestic attendees, so the accommodations were considerably worse. Or rather, having somewhere to sleep was already pretty good.
At the same time, being at the forefront of opening up, the local staff had begun to grow arrogant, carrying more than a hint of disdain for country people. Being looked down on did not feel good. Fortunately, people here had also become more pragmatic. Money could solve many problems...