The Shandong pavilion welcomes nearly 90,000 visitors at the eighth China International Import Expo held in Shanghai. [Photo/Xinhuanghe News]

A Shandong delegation consisting of 43 local time-honored brands, intangible cultural heritage and foreign trade companies showcased Shandong's development, which blends tradition with innovation, at the eighth China International Import Expo (CIIE) held in Shanghai from Nov 5 to 10.

The Shandong pavilion welcomed nearly 90,000 visitors during the six-day event, securing intention transactions over 230 million yuan ($32.4 million) and on-site sales reaching 7.35 million yuan.

Shandong, a veteran of CIIE, unveiled a novel layout that fused domestic legends with export stars. Six zones turned the booth into a moving cultural train where time-honored brands met global suppliers, each improving on the other through shared standards and stories.

Visitors snap with Shandong dialect ads at the Shandong pavilion at the eighth CIIE. [Photo/Xinhuanghe News]

Visitors tasted braised chicken, beer and Dong'e Ejiao (China's renowned donkey-hide gelatin), then recorded Shandong dialect ads and collected stamps from 13 companies on display in the pavilion. Additionally, 10 new products debuted, from Taishan Mountain-inspired jewelry to medicinal tea and ready-to-eat kelp rolls.

At the China time-honored brand conference, Dong'e Ejiao, Tsingtao Beer and Dezhou Braised Chicken had exchanges with Panasonic and Walmart, while Alibaba, Huawei Cloud, and Amazon sketched digital routes to overseas shelves. Moreover, a New Zealand importer signed a 10-million-yuan deal for Dezhou Braised Chicken and Luweizhai, a Jinan-based time-honored delicatessen store; Russian, Malaysian and South African buyers queued for snacks, silk scarves, and ink sticks. Plus, an AI avatar speaking five languages presented each brand's century-old craft, proving tradition and tech can ride the same train toward global markets.