Geographies of temporary markets: an anatomy of the Canton Fair |
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Authors: | Harald Bathelt Pengfei Li Yi-wen Zhu |
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Institution: | 1. Department of Political Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;2. Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;3. Department of International Business, HEC Montréal, Montréal, Canada;4. School of Urban and Regional Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China |
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Abstract: | While recent research on temporary clusters and temporary markets has emphasized the knowledge generation processes associated with trade fairs, little is known about the knowledge exchanges that are embedded in market relations at these events. This paper uses the case of the Canton Fair in Guangzhou, the largest trade fair in China, to illustrate that such events do not operate as a single market, but that they generate multiple dynamic market configurations, which entail different flows of knowledge, goods and people. In a typical case study, four types of market configurations are identified that simultaneously develop at this event. The findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of market relations, knowledge and transactions in temporary spatial settings. |
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Keywords: | Canton Fair dynamic market relations geographies of markets multiple market configurations knowledge flows temporary markets |
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