The first China International Import Expo (CIIE) will kick off this week and both organizers and exhibitors are making their final preparations for the event.

Many will enter the first ever CIIE through its brand-new south gate.

Nestled in the Jiangnan (lands to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River) near the Yangtze, the region’s decorative style differs significantly from kind seen in northern China.

The royalty style of the north usually uses strong red and gold, but the color in the Jiangnan is lighter.

Zhang Junjie, president of the East China Architectural Design and Research Institute, explains some of the Jiangnan elements.

“We built eight flower columns. We chose eight kinds of flowers that would represent the area and event well. Like this one, it’s covered by peony, China’s national flower. And the shape of the column is like a celadon vase, not a simple cylinder. It shows the beautiful flavor of the Jiangnan style.”

More than 150 designers have been involved in this project since May, working to create a venue that embodies China’s four seasons.

Each of the four gates is decorated with the theme of one of the seasons. The South Gate represents fall, so the boards are colored yellow and orange. The four gates have 498 pieces of board in total, with 168 colors. And it will look even more resplendent at night.

Starting on Nov 5, more than 3,000 companies from over 130 countries will showcase their products in seven exhibition areas.

About 400 companies from 39 countries and regions will showcase their ships, artificial intelligence (AI) products and industrial robots in this high-end intelligence equipment exhibition area.

“The heaviest, largest item at the expo is in our area. This Gantry machine center weighs 200 tonnes. The most expensive one is also here. The helicopter is 200 million yuan ($28.7 million). And 30 products will make their debut here,” said Tianye, head of the high-end intelligence equipment exhibition area of the expo.

Besides this Enterprise and Business Exhibition, there will also be a country pavilion for trade and commerce, and an International Economic and Trade forum.