Foreign merchants seen at the first-ever Taizhou International Eyewear Exhibition. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

The first-ever Taizhou International Eyewear Exhibition concluded on Oct 22, attracting approximately 11,300 buyers from 32 countries and regions worldwide.

The exhibition, which took place from Oct 20 to 22 in Duqiao town in the county-level city of Linhai, saw the inking of intended orders valued at 150 million yuan ($20.5 million).

In a satisfaction survey conducted among the 314 exhibitors who participated in the event, over 99 percent of participants expressed high levels of satisfaction with the exhibition.

Taizhou holds the prestigious distinction of being China's largest manufacturing base for eyewear accessories and the world's largest sunglasses production base. With more than 1,800 enterprises involved in various aspects of eyewear production, the city generates an annual output value of 12.3 billion yuan. Taizhou currently commands 30 percent of the domestic market and 25 percent of the international market, making it a formidable presence in the eyewear industry.

The city is home to over 30,000 eyewear professionals who contribute to nationwide eyewear retail services. Notably, 11 individuals from Taizhou currently serve as presidents of various eyewear associations across the country.

In addition, Taizhou hosts over 2,000 online stores related to eyewear on popular platforms like Tmall and Taobao. These platforms have a combined online transaction volume of approximately 2.3 billion yuan, showcasing the city's strong online presence in the eyewear industry.