The China International Consumer Products Expo currently underway in Haikou, capital of Hainan province, formally opens to the public on Monday, People's Daily reported.

A total of 50,000 tickets, priced at 20 yuan each, have been sold out, according to the Secretariat of the Organizing Committee of the expo.

In order to attract more buyers and audience, domestic exhibitors are showcasing time-honored eye-catching products, which have become highlights during the expo.

Miao Embroidery from Guizhou province, Xuan paper, a well-known handmade paper from Anhui province, Shanghai's White Rabbit candy, Beijing's Daoxiangcun snack and Tianjin's fried dough twists are attracting many visitors during the expo.

The expo, the first national expo focusing on consumer products held by China, has attracted 857 domestic enterprises showcasing over 1,263 brands, covering 20,000 square meters. Some well-known domestic brands such as Huawei, Gree, BYD Auto, Kweichow Moutai, TCM pharmacy Tongrentang, FAW Hongqi are attending the event.

The expo is a new platform to satisfy people's aspirations for better life, said Justin Yifu Lin, a senior economist and honorary dean of the National School of Development at Peking University. It provides new opportunities for Hainan's high-quality development, and help push the new development paradigm of "dual circulation" with quality consumption, he added.

The number of China's middle-income residents is expected to be 800 million by 2035, which is a huge opportunity for both China and the world, Lin said. "The growth of new consumers, plus the demand upgrade of existing consumers, is worth tapping for the world."

As the most important event for China's monthlong campaign promoting consumption in May, the expo running until May 10 builds exhibition and trading platform for domestic and global brands.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, Tianjin has organized 19 local enterprises covering food, clothing, drinking, bicycles and watches to attend the expo, helping time-honored brands and startup brands to develop domestic and global markets.

Henan and Fujian provinces also sent 26 and 30 enterprises respectively to attend the expo, driving local brands going to the world and promoting foreign trade cooperation.