Visitors interact with a humanoid robot at the Digital and Smart Manufacturing of CEEC exhibition area of the 4th China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

By the time the rain started to fall on Dongqian Lake in the city of Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, a gentle mist had already curled around the surrounding pavilions.

For a moment, I paused outside the Ningbo International Conference Center. I grew up in the colder, drier north, and the lush, humid atmosphere here made me stop and fully take it in.

While just behind the center's glass doors, the 4th China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair is in full swing -- no one seems to notice the weather.

A power chord rang out beneath the rafters. On a modest stage, flanked by national flags and curious onlookers, the Slovenian band Drugi Vagon had just begun to play.

This year's expo, themed "New Visions for the Future," welcoming Slovenia and Slovakia as guest countries of honor, has drawn 435 enterprises from 14 Central and Eastern European countries (CEEC) and nine other countries, including the UK, France, Germany and Italy.

At the expo center, from one corner to the next, languages mingled on booming trade as exhibitors showcased everything from wine to solar energy. At the same time, a variety of foreign cultural performances drew huge crowds as China opened its arms to the world.

"Music is an exchange without words, and it has no borders," said Gasper Turk, the band's guitarist.

His bandmate, vocalist Zan Ogransek, leaned in with a smile. "Music is a universal language," he chimed in. "It transcends everything. You can say things with a song that you can't express any other way."

For Ogransek, his first trip to China left him "stunned" upon the moment of his arrival. "A sea of skyscrapers. It looked like something out of a movie, but it was real."

What stood out even more, he said, were the people. "So warm, so helpful. Even if they didn't speak English, they'd stop what they were doing to show us the way."

Visitors enjoy performance from Bulgaria during the 4th China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

While the musicians were forging new connections, a few booths away, where punching bags hung beside exhibition display boards, Croatian boxing and wrestling champion Goran Martinovic was exchanging skills with clusters of Chinese youth.

In 2015, Martinovic launched his brand "Black Tie Boxing" and set up an academy with the same name in Suzhou, blending his visions on sport, charity and friendship together.

"I've witnessed how fast China is developing its sports culture," he said. "Boxing, football, wrestling -- all growing. And now the government supports us closely."

"We work together, side by side," he added.

Starting boxing at the age of four under his uncle's guidance, also a champion himself, Martinovic believes that sport is about more than just medals.

"I never push Chinese kids to become champions," he said. "It's about learning discipline, confidence, and how to get up when life knocks you down. Just like in boxing."

His academy, with over 600 trainees, has been putting much effort into sending Chinese athletes to the global stage. Meanwhile, it introduces high-profile events to China -- building a cultural bridge through sport.

Much more than just sport, it's about real friendship, Martinovic said, noting that for him, China represents something bigger. "It's the work ethic and discipline of the Chinese people that truly make China strong," he said.

People visit the fashion area of the 4th China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, May 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Han)

Across the fashion pavilion, under a canopy of soft lighting and camera flashes, Hungarian designer Evelin Fink adjusted a flowing garment of gold and black fabric on a mannequin. In a quiet voice, she confided that she planned to name her latest collection "Solar," inspired by the power of the sun.

The golden color, she explained, represents prosperity, light and warmth in Chinese culture, perfectly aligning with the theme of the collection: bringing light to darkness. "Just like the role China is playing on the global stage," she said.

What shimmered most wasn't the style, but the material. Fink's designs used sustainable pineapple leaf fiber, a fabric "like leather, but from nature," as she described. Other pieces incorporated recycled ocean plastic and biodegradable plant materials.

"From the very beginning, I've been committed to making fashion that lasts, and is timeless in both style and ethics," she said. "This is our future."

Her leap -- from a Hungary workroom to the massive international fair in Ningbo -- symbolized more than a career milestone. "I hope this will bring our two countries closer," she said, with the desire to develop her brand in China, a country where "the future of sustainable fashion lives."

Back on the stage, the Slovenian band performed their final song.

Somewhere in the back, a local boy was tapping on his knees in time with the beat. "Can they sing one more song?" he asked, half-hoping someone would say "yes."