4 Internet Phenomena at the 4th China International Import Expo

By Zhang Andi

BEIJING, Nov. 11 (Guangming Online) -- On Nov. 5, the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) opened in Shanghai. Each participating brand sees the CIIE as a great opportunity to impress Chinese customers, so they create exhibitions that are either fashionable or full of technological appeal, which become popular tourist attractions in Shanghai. Some of the exhibition booths offer free samples, attracting a large number of visitors. There are nearly 10,000 tips about the CIIE on the lifestyle social media platform "Xiaohongshu".

These are the four hottest internet phenomena at the 4th CIIE.

1. Estee Lauder “Crystal Palace”

Estee Lauder has come to CIIE for the third time. Since 2018, the crystal shell exhibition hall of the Estee Lauder group has become the most representative symbol of CIIE.

Some users shared their tips on getting free samples of Tom Ford, La Mer, Jo Malone, and other skincare and cosmetics samples on social media, while others shared their experiences of receiving USB flash drives and 7ml samples of Estee Lauder’s ace product, Night Advanced Repair (also called “mini brown bottle” by Chinese customers), as gifts of the visit. They posted “Estee Lauder was so generous”. Not surprisingly, the Estee Lauder pavilion also had the longest queue.

In addition, the Estee Lauder group's various instruments provide an interactive experience for visitors, such as the Vapometer moisture-loss tester, the Moisture Meter SC moisture content tester, the Skin Colorcatch tester, and the Skin Glossmeter.

2. “Diamond Porsche”

MATRO GBJ Overseas Jewelry Collection, a leading new jewelry retail brand, joined hands with 20 overseas jewelry brands to enter the CIIE. Among the exhibits, the most eye-catching one is a Jewel-studded Porsche 911, which is called "Diamond Porsche" by netizens.

This Porsche 911 GT3 was inlaid with 400, 000 Sri Lankan white gems around the body, worth 81.5 million yuan, only counting in the value of the gems and the car body. It is the largest exhibit in the Jewelry Hall of the 4th CIIE and marks the car's debut in China.

On social media, many netizens complained that they had come to the expo to see the car, but had gone to the wrong pavilion, as the Porsche isn't in the Car Pavilion, but in the Jewelry Pavilion.

3. Lego Creativity Garden

The exhibition area set up by Lego, an old friend of CIIE, is also one of the hottest spots on social media. Creativity Garden is the largest themed creative installation set up by LEGO Group at CIIE. The three-meter-high garden took 23 Lego modelers 1,957 hours to build. The device containing 483,453 Lego bricks, is the largest in all CIIE Lego displays, with a total weight of about 2,500kg. The garden symbolizes an endless stream of creativity and a commitment to sustainability.

There are also three giant trees in the garden, on which 50 children from Shenyang, Ningbo, Taiyuan, Changsha, and Shanghai have created Lego products to solve daily problems and protect the natural environment. Most of these creative pieces come from the Lego group's "Rebuild the World" project landing activities across China.

In addition, Lego launched new products at CIIE, such as the Chinese New Year and Super Mario collections.

4. Uniqlo giant knitted dress

Last year, Uniqlo's giant hanging jacket on display became a landmark of CIIE thanks to the influencers' promotion. This year, Uniqlo, a second-time CIIE participant, installed a 1,000-square-meter exhibition themed "Wonderland of Tomorrow", and displayed a 3D-printed giant knitted dress. The red knit dress is 2.5 meters long, woven by a seamless 3D knitting machine from Japanese textile giant Shima Seiki.

Meanwhile, the 2021 Uniqlo +J collection launched at CIIE is the last collection jointly signed by Uniqlo and the international fashion designer Jil Sander. The line is already popular among young people, so its advance appearance on CIIE attracts loads of attention.