The 2013 China Xiamen International Stone Fair (Xiamen Stone Fair 2013) kicked off at Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center (XICEC) Wednesday morning with a record exhibition area and total exhibitors, making it the world’s largest stone exhibition. The exhibition area for this year’s event increased 45,000 square meters from last year to hit a record-breaking 158,000 square meters. A total of 8,250 domestic and overseas booths have been set up, and 2,000 of the world's leading suppliers and manufacturers are participating in the fair to showcase their marble and stone products and drum up business with international buyers.

A newly-built exhibition center with over 30,000 square meters of floor area has been put into use as an overseas exhibition space, with improved exhibiting facilities and luxurious exhibition grounds. The new exhibition center will house overseas exhibitors from Pakistan, India, Brazil, Spain, Italy, Russia, Turkey and many other countries.

More than 70,000 stone merchants from more than 140 countries and regions, as well as those from domestic provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, have registered for the exhibition, which is expected to attract a total of more than 130,000 domestic and foreign exhibitors and visitors.

A comprehensive range of marble, granite and other stone products from a variety of countries are on display, including stone floor tiles of all sizes, stone art carvings, ceilings, household items, sanitary products as well as stone machinery.

A Stone World Congress meeting will also be held on March 7, where stone experts, designers and merchants will share their views on the stone interior design and the development trends in the industry.

The four-day fair will take place in the Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center until March 9.