More than 6,000 domestic and foreign business representatives attended the ongoing 8th China (Henan) International Investment and Trade Fair in Zhengzhou, Henan province.

The three-day fair, which will continue through Thursday, is aimed at building a platform for cooperation between the companies at home and abroad, to build Henan as a core area of the national food production and Central China's economic zone, according to a news release on henan.gov.cn.

More than 500 domestic, foreign and multinational companies exhibited at the fair.

The signed contracts are expected to reach 220 billion yuan ($35.4 billion), according to local newspaper Dahe Daily.

"Henan is famous for its historical relics and culture, and the memorial ceremony to ancestors in the native place of Huangdi (also known as Yellow Emperor) in Xinzheng of Zhengzhou impressed me most," Xu Rongmao, a real-estate tycoon, told China Daily.

Xu promoted the negotiation between the entrepreneurs in Henan and ASEAN nations, and also encouraged more overseas Chinese to come into Henan to seek opportunities in the future.