Guests stream in from near and far

The Conference of Great Business Partners, held in Shandong from Friday to Sunday, attracted about 1,200 "distinguished guests" from China and abroad.

They were all influential figures from the business, technology, education, culture, healthcare and finance communities - as well as from overseas groups and young entrepreneurs - with nearly 70 percent of them from outside Shandong, according to Ren Airong, vice-governor of the province.

A group of Global Fortune 500 companies, large State-owned enterprises and top 500 Chinese businesses participated in the event, seeking business opportunities in the province.