Shoppers browse and pick up groceries at a shopping festival for Chinese New Year on Jan 6 in Taiyuan. The fair, hosted by China Taiyuan Coal Transaction Center and Beijing Hualian Hypermarket Co will last until Jan 22. The 17-day fair aims to offer Shanxi residents high-quality goods and set up a platform to facilitate trade among consumers, dealers and manufacturers. There are nine themed exhibition areas, such as recreation and catering, displaying holiday items at the fair. [Photo/sxrb.com]

Shanxi specialties are on sale at the shopping festival which opened on Jan 6 in Taiyuan. Compared with the previous three events, this year's fair is the biggest ever organized, with an exhibition area covering 36,000 square meters and more than 800 booths. [Photo/sxrb.com]