Third Taobao Maker Festival Kick off in West Lake Area in Hangzhou

Taobao, China’s leading e-commerce platform, developed by Alibaba Group kicked off its third Taobao Maker Festival in Hangzhou, China on Sept. 13. For the first time, the four-day festival is being held outdoors in the famous West Lake area along with a night market to enrich the experience.

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As the largest event in Taobao’s history, the festival features more than 200 exhibitors throughout the themed zones of innovation, anime, intangible cultural legacy, vintage, pets and gourmet. Visitors are able to participate in interactive activities, forest-themed concerts and try out the latest technologies.

During this year’s event, Taobao invited over 20 Chinese designers to show off their original works at the Fashion Show on West Lake’s snow-covered bridge. The show, held on a floating stage on the West Lake, was live-streamed online, and allowed the audience to make purchases on items shown directly through the Taobao app.

Chris Tung, Chief Marketing Officer of Alibaba Group, said, “Taobao Maker Festival is an occasion to celebrate the spirit of our merchants and thank them for bringing to life endless ways to make shopping more enjoyable for our customers.”

The latest CBNData indicated that 77 percent of the independent designers on Taobao were aged 33 years or younger. Taobao Maker Festival, which receives a huge number of visitors every year, is a great stage for these young designers to experiment and commercialize their original ideas.

According to Fan Jiang, President of Taobao Marketplace, innovation prizes will be awarded for the first time in recognition of the achievements of young entrepreneurs.