The Egyptian Ministry of Culture has set up a booth in Hall 4 of the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center to join this year’s China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) for the first time.

“The main cultural products we bring to this fair are handicrafts,” said Tarek Samy, a public relations officer from Egypt’s Ministry of Culture.

Samy said that the setting of the Egyptian booth in Hall 4 is displaying their cultural products to help visitors understand the history of most well-known Egyptian handicrafts.

An artist was invited from Egypt to make a plate-like Arabisk, a kind of Egyptian handicraft, at the booth. Samy said Arabisks are used for decoration on tables.

A workshop was held at the booth Friday to showcase traditional Egyptian calligraphy.

“As we all know, both Egypt and China enjoy a long history in handicrafts, so we are expecting more cooperation in this field with China,” said Samy.

Russia is another country that set up a stall this year at the cultural fair. The installation, called My Whale, guides visitors into a whale with fancy lights and sound effects.

Beside the installation, jewelry from a famous Russian jeweler is on display.

Other stalls inside Hall 4 also promote their countries’ unique products, including French wines and cashmere from the Middle East.