Habib-ur-Rehman, 31, a merchant from Pakistan, was dressed in Shalwaar Kameez, a kind of traditional Pakistani attire, at his booth in Hall 5.2 for consumer goods at the CIIE, surrounded by the soft light emitted from the Pakistani salt lamps on the shelves.
The salt lamp is very popular among customers. He brought about 220 salt lamps to the expo and all of them were sold. There are still more than 100 lamps in stock for booking.
Rehman has been in Shanghai for 12 years. "I came here in 2009. When I came, I was a student at the Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. And after that, I inherited my family business of Pakistani handmade carpets. We've been doing the handmade carpet business for 50 years."
"We thought there is something more that Chinese people should know about the Pakistani culture and Pakistani products. So we decided to bring something new to the market," he told Shanghai Daily.
"This year we introduced the Pakistani salt lamps which are a big hit in this expo," Rehman said. If one goes to the market and wants to buy a lamp, he or she may think it's either going to be a plastic, glass, or metal lamp, but these lamps are all-natural. "It's 100 percent made from salt."
According to Rehman, the lamps are not made in the factory and they come directly from the Himalayan mountains. And a salt lamp is also a natural air purifier. "If you put one in your home, it will start to refine the environment around you, through the moisture as the surface of the lamp melts down."
"We've been waiting to come to the CIIE for a long time. The first and second year we came as visitors because the brand was still not properly made. The third year, there was the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rehman. "And finally, after patiently waiting for such a long time, this year we finally came with a perfect product."
When Chinese consumers visit his booth, they always mention the long-lasting and firm friendship between Pakistan and China. And they also think the all-natural lamp is something very different and new in the market. "They think it has a lot of health benefits, and when they asked about the price, they think it's better than any decorative lamps." The price of salt lamps ranges from 200 to 1,000 yuan (US$31 to 157), depending on the weight.
He believes CIIE is the best platform for launching some very special products in the Chinese market. "And other than that, it definitely has given me a lot of exposure to the Chinese market. Through this platform, I can be sure that my product in China will definitely work."
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