The Pakistan pavilion at the 9th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, northwest China. [China Economic Net/ Huang Xihang]

DUNHUANG, Nov 4 (China Economic Net) – Handmade rosewood, brass and stone crafts from Pakistan are on display at a cultural expo in Dunhuang, northwest China.

Two Pakistani exhibitors are showing handicrafts. One of the firms, Khan Traders, run by a pair of brothers, carries about 100 products in its booth. “Totally handmade, no machine,” said Naeem Mirza, the younger brother.

Mirza’s rosewood range runs from candy jars and tea tables to tissue boxes, jewellery boxes and dried-fruit trays. Asked whether one glossy jar was plastic, he was quick to say it was Pakistani rosewood, likening the timber to huali, a rosewood used in Chinese classical furniture.

Hand-carved Pakistani rosewood pieces on display at the expo in Dunhuang. [China Economic Net/ Huang Xihang]

Mirza said he had brought brass horses for the Chinese Year of the Horse because “people like this animal”. Stock was limited, he added. Some of his designs, he said, were ones “Chinese people like”.

Pressed to pick one product for Chinese buyers, Mirza chose the pale green stone he calls Pakistani jade. “This colour is natural,” he said.

He was offering discounts on the opening days to introduce his products to visitors.

His elder brother, Munir Muhammad, said he had been doing business in China for about two years and planned to stay in Dunhuang for another two months. Stone and wood pieces, he said, were likely to draw the most interest from Chinese buyers.

Pakistan’s exports to China rose 8.4 per cent year on year to US$2.68 billion in the 2025–26 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, according to data from the State Bank of Pakistan.

The 9th Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo runs from 2 to 4 November in Gansu province.