The 135th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair, opened Monday in Guangzhou, capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, attracting over 29,000 exhibitors from across the globe.

The expo features an exhibition area of 1.55 million square meters, with about 28,600 firms participating in the export section, including more than 4,300 new exhibitors. In addition, 680 companies will attend the import section.

It incorporates three separate phases held between April 15 and May 5 under the theme of "advanced manufacturing" "quality home life" and "better life", respectively. Each phase will last for five days.

As of 14:00 Sunday, more than 149,000 buyers from 215 countries and regions have completed pre-registration, marking a notable 17.4-percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Launched in 1957 and since held twice a year, the Canton Fair is considered a major gauge of China's foreign trade.