The 45th China International Furniture Fair (CIFF) opened in Guangzhou on July 27, helping to invigorate furniture-related industries in China amidst the market doldrums caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jointly organized by the China National Furniture Association, the China Foreign Trade Center (Group), the Guangdong Provincial Furniture Association, as well as the Hong Kong Furniture and Decoration Trade Association, the four-day event is China's largest one-stop trade platform for furniture-related industries.

Xu Xiangnan, president of the China National Furniture Association, said that being the first mega and whole-industrial-chain furniture expo after the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, this year's CIFF will strongly ensure the new development of the industry and contribute to inspiring the development of the global furniture industry.

The 45th China International Furniture Fair attracts over 1,600 exhibitors. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

"It will turn a new leaf for the industry's recovery and development," Xu added.

"This year's CIFF targets both foreign trade and domestic trade. It will contribute to stabilizing the furniture supply chain and industrial chain, keeping industry development right on track," said Xu Bing, vice-president of China Foreign Trade Center (Group).

A total of 1,607 firms are attending the ongoing event, with the whole furniture categories on display spanning over home furnishings, customized and smart furniture, decorations and textiles, furnishings for offices and commercial spaces, machines for making furniture, as well as furniture-related raw materials.

"CIFF organizers have taken several innovative measures to help maximize the returns for exhibitors," said Du Zehua, chairman of Guangdong Landbond Furniture Group Co Ltd.

The supplementary virtual exhibition online will help furniture makers gain extra orders, while the contemporary Chinese furniture design show and future office style show will upgrade the design capacity of China's furniture and home-living industries as a whole, Du added.

There were 309.75 million pieces of furniture made in China from January to May, down 14.4 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the China Light Industry Information Center.

The nation's furniture makers generated total business revenue of 222.25 billion yuan ($31.74 billion) and profits of 9.59 billion yuan in the first five months of the year, down 16.6 percent and 36.4 percent respectively from the same period in 2019.