People rehearse before a livestreaming session for the Canton Fair in Nantong, Jiangsu province. [Photo/ ntfabu.com]

Companies in Nantong, Jiangsu province, received orders worth $107.66 million during the 127th China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, which ran from June 15 to 24.

A total of 372 Nantong companies took part in the fair, which had 38 exhibition areas covering products such as hardware, tools, building materials, furnishings, clothing, home textiles, sport equipment and food.

According to statistics from the city's commerce bureau, 132 companies secured 3,365 orders from around the world amounting to $107.66 million during the 10-day event, accounting for 20 percent of the total in Jiangsu province.

Orders from Asia and Europe were worth higher than those from other regions, with the total amount of each continent surpassing $30 million.

In terms of product categories, sports equipment and beddings were the most popular.

Officials also revealed that about half of the companies used livestreaming to promote their products and seek business partners.

For example, Amerisolar, a professional solar module manufacturer, set up six livestreams in different languages, with 12 anchors working in shifts around the clock. It also hired a professional video production company for technological support and attracted many clients from Europe and the Americas.

"Nantong led the cities in Jiangsu in terms of holding training sessions in May to help companies get familiar with the online exhibition platform, including the uploading of graphics, videos and 3D images," said Li Ling, director of the commerce bureau.

The city has also been a pioneer in the province in setting up a professional service team to provide technological support and build a 200-square-meter livestreaming room for companies.

Industry experts have said that the fair, which was held online for the first time this year, has explored a new path for international trade development.

Moving forward, the commerce bureau will place more emphasis on improving livestreaming quality and promoting online fairs to help local foreign trade businesses.