SHANGHAI, Nov 8 (DNA): “The power of nature always surprises us. The Himalayan Salt Lamp from Pakistan is gorgeous and unique, which combines nature and art well. It’s beautiful, it’s practical, it cleans the air, and we’ve rarely seen anything like it before,” Mrs. Zhang, a Chinese visitor of CIIE said to Gwadar Pro. 

November 5th-10th, the 4th China International Import Expo (CIIE) is held in Shanghai. On this occasion, many Pakistani exhibitors were invited to display their products, attracting the interest of visitors from all over the world. Among them, Himalayan salt lamps officially appeared in China’s large-scale exhibition in the form of a brand for the first time.

“Using salt lamps to clean the air has been a traditional culture in Pakistan for many thousand years. I’d love to introduce it to Chinese customers. All of the lamps are mined in the Himalaya and exported to China. 

They remain their original colors and shapes and customers are able to breathe the Himalaya through the beautiful rocks. That’s why Chinese buyers love them,” Mian Muhammad Zubair, Pakistani Himalayan salt lamp merchant, said to Gwadar Pro.

He also introduced that Pakistani Himalayan salt with different colors such as white, pink, red, and black, is famous worldwide. Exporting them to China is not only a huge business opportunity, but also a promotion of traditional Pakistani culture.

The price of the salt lamp depends on the weight of the salt block. For example, 1-2 kg of salt lamp is CNY 200, 3-5 kg goes CNY400-450. The biggest salt lamp with weight of 50 kg can be sold for CNY3800. 

All the buyers think the price is reasonable. “Most families in China can afford it and are happy to decorate it in their home,” he said.

The exhibitors of Pakistan salt lamp said that in just one day, all the exhibits on the shelves were sold and replenished. More than 30 pieces of lamps were sold on the 6th. Many of the products have already been ordered. At the same time, they also exhibited rare black salt lamps, attracting the attention of consumers.

Habib ur Rehman, another Pakistani merchant, said: “This is the first time we introduced the salt lamps in the Chinese market as a brand. Pakistani salt lamps have never been introduced before in China on such a big platform. Chinese consumers are also more enthusiastic about salt lamps than we expected.”

He summarized three reasons why Chinese customers love the salt lamp. “First of all, it is very practical as a lamp. Secondly, its unique texture, color and shape are ornamental and aesthetic. Finally, it’s all natural and healthy. It will slowly melt after 2,530 years. 

It reacts with water in the air and absorbs impurities, releasing ions. Thus, it can purify the air, improve sleep, and even be good for the skin.”

Habib also introduced their export situation: “Now the salt blocks are shipped from Karachi. In the future, we will consider transporting them through KKH to China, which will not only be faster but also cheaper. 

Thanks to CPEC and FTA second phase, it is very convenient for us to export our products to China with low tariffs. At the same time, as the epidemic in China is under effective control, our exports to China have not been significantly affected.”