What the maps, signs and portal screenshots show

At a glance

• Exit = Area, confirmed by four kinds of image: a 140th 3D layout, a site map, a station-finder infographic and a photo of the metro's own exit screen all agree with the official pairing: Areas A and D use Line 8 Xingangdong Exit A and Gate 6; Area B uses Line 8 Pazhou Exit A/B (Gate 4) or Line 11 Pazhou Exit E/F (Gate 3); Area C uses Line 8 Pazhou Exit C.
• Gate 6 to Xingangdong Exit A is about 160 m on foot, about 3 minutes.
• Area B and Area C are joined by an elevated walkway, the Central Flyover (中央天桥), over Xingang Dong Road, with electric shuttle stops on it.
• Every Area has one halal-marked fast-food outlet on the catering map, and delivered food is not allowed in. The map shows an icon, not a certificate.
• Companion (assistant/interpreter) badges: the buyer portal blocks start dates less than 2 days ahead; the fee screen shows 300 RMB/day + 50 RMB card fee, 200 RMB per replacement; refunds only for never-used badges, requested online before Dec 4, 2026; invoice within 30 days of payment. (screenshots)
• Hotel shuttles: the one timetable we could read has no return bus on the last day of each phase (Oct 27, Nov 4), boards guests with a room card only, and leaves when full. (one report)
• Price-list images are marketing "from" prices dated Sep 8 to Oct 21; several say prices rise during the Canton Fair.

Several of the maps, signs and portal screens in this chapter look like pages from the official 140th venue guide, but they were reposted on social media, not read on cantonfair.org.cn. Where the official facts say the same thing, both are cited. Where they do not, treat the image as a lead and check on site. Portal screenshots are better evidence than a social post, but they are still screenshots: we did not log in and see the screens ourselves. Unless a claim also has official backing, all reposted-image rules, services, times and prices remain not confirmed, including the portal screenshots.

1. Gate, hall and metro-exit alignment by Area

Changing lines at Pazhou: Line 8 and Line 11 are an out-of-station transfer: you leave the gates and walk.

For vehicle drop-off, the police notice names Gates 5, 6 and 10 as stop-and-go car bays. These are not guaranteed closing-time pickup points.

Where to register if you arrive at Area C: the Area C service page shows an Overseas Buyer Registration Office (广交会办证中心(境外采购商)) on 1F next to Halls 14.1/15.1, in addition to the Registration Hall between Areas D and A. The page does not state which phase it was drawn for.

At closing time near Xingangdong: a spring 2026 visitor reports ride-hailing cars could not get into the roads around the station, so walk Gate 6 to Exit A. (recent, first-hand; the official ride-hailing zones are in Chapter 3)

2. The Area B-C walkway and internal shuttles

• Central Flyover (中央天桥): an elevated pedestrian walkway over Xingang Dong Road linking Area B and Area C, with electric shuttle stops on it, so you do not need to cross at street level.
• Electric shuttle carts (展馆穿梭电瓶车): the 3D layout numbers 24 stops: 1-10 in Area A, 11-17 in Area B, 18-24 in Area D, along the Pearl River Promenade and outer rings; separate markers show the flyover shuttles. The site-map legend lists both "Electric Shuttle" and "Electric Shuttle (Flyover)".
• What we do not know: hours, frequency and whether the carts are free. None of the images states them.
• Badge shuttle: the site-map legend marks a "Shuttle Bus Station to Buyer Registration Office".

3. The catering map and halal-marked outlets

The catering page (餐饮点) reposted on Oct 13 pins outlets in all four Areas and carries a bilingual notice.

The rules printed on the map

• Delivered food and drinks are not allowed into the complex (大会禁止外送盒饭进馆). This matches the official Phase 1 guide.
• Dine at staggered times, and use the in-complex restaurants' advance ordering and delivery.

Halal-marked outlets (清真快餐, green HALAL icon)

Caveat: the map shows an icon and the words 清真快餐; it names no certifying body. The official Phase 1 guide does not claim halal catering. Use "marked halal on the venue catering map", and ask at the counter.

Music & Cuisine Festival (7th edition)

• Area A Atrium Garden, 18:00-20:00: Phase 2 Oct 23-26, Phase 3 Oct 31-Nov 3 (not the final day).
• Area D, opposite Hall 20.1 / west of the Convention Center, 12:00-14:00: Phase 2 Oct 23-27, Phase 3 Oct 31-Nov 4.

Just outside: Nanfeng Hui (南丰汇). A directory image (April 2026) shows this mall across Xingang Dong Road from Area A with 20+ food and drink brands, a FamilyMart and a Xiaomi store, and calls it the most crowded at lunch. It lists two Lanzhou beef noodle chains, Chen Xiang Gui (陈香贵) and Ma Ji Yong (马记永), with no halal mark in the image.

4. Assistant / interpreter badge: the workflow, step by step

1. Count back 2 days. The on-site sign says applications must be submitted at least 2 days in advance (example: by Oct 13 for Oct 15). The portal enforces it: choosing Oct 19 on Oct 19 returned "Please select a start date on or after 2026-10-21". For Phase 2 day 1 (Oct 23), that means by Oct 21; for Phase 3 day 1 (Oct 31), by Oct 29. On Oct 22, the Oct 23 deadline has already passed under this rule; use the earliest date the portal actually permits.
2. The buyer fills in "Add Accompanying Person" on buyer.cantonfair.org.cn: relationship (the screenshot has "Assistant" selected), session 140, phase, start and end dates, the companion's ID card number and mobile number.
3. Visa question: "Are you visa-exempt". If No, choose the visa category and upload the visa first page (.jpg, .jpeg or .png).
4. Check twice before submitting. The form warns that the companion's ID number and mobile number cannot be changed after submission.
5. The companion confirms by SMS. The SMS comes from 106980008999 as 【广交会客服】, names the buyer, links to buyer.cantonfair.org.cn and gives the hotline 4000-888-999; the phone number must match what the buyer entered.
6. Fee screen (确认陪同): reconfirm the number of entry days before paying; 300 RMB/day plus a 50 RMB card production fee; 200 RMB per replacement badge. The sample record is a Phase 2 application for Oct 23-27, status "pending initial review". By our arithmetic a full 5-day phase is 300 x 5 + 50 = 1,550 RMB.
7. Refund and invoice: a paid badge with no venue entry record can be refunded through an online request before Dec 4, 2026; request the VAT invoice (发票) within 30 calendar days of payment.
8. Pickup together. A note from the same author says the buyer and companion go to the counter together with the buyer's original passport and the companion's original Chinese ID. (note text, not visible in the photo; verify)
9. What the card looks like: a brown band reading 境外采购商陪同人员 / Accompanying Personnel for Overseas Buyer, with 助手 / Assistant, and the dates printed, for example 10.15-10.15, 10.23-10.23 or 10.31-10.31. The buyer badge says 采购商 BUYER instead.

Related, from the interpreter side: in Phase 1 an agency cancelled 6 booked interpreters at 01:30 on opening day and later paid USD 100 each; the post says interpreters were moved between booths and buyers. (one first-hand account)

5. Hotel shuttle timetables

Only one hotel timetable is in the images. Treat it as an example of what to ask your own hotel for, not as a rule.

The image was posted on Oct 21 by a hotel-deal account (marketing). The city bus group runs 46 hotel-to-fair routes for 44 hotels; their timetables were not in the images.

6. Price-list images (marketing prices, with dates)

All amounts are RMB "from" prices in operator ads. They are not market standards. Several lists say prices rise during the Canton Fair, without saying by how much.

Baiyun Airport transfers, one way (two operator lists).

Luggage guide from List A: 5-seat 2-3 suitcases of 24 inches, 7-seat 3-4, 9-seat 3-5.

Chartered car with driver

The Guangzhou and Foshan lists come from the same brand; Foshan is 100 RMB higher for a 5-seat car and 80 RMB higher for a 7-seat car. Neither list says whether the price is a single trip or a day.

Hotel prices seen on an OTA (Tongcheng), for Oct 17-18 (Phase 1 dates). These are screenshot prices, not a live search or Phase 2/3 quote.

These are Phase 1 snapshots; Phase 2/3 prices were not captured.

7. Show this to staff or your driver

Every Chinese term below appears in the source images. Point at the line you need.

Do / Don't

Do

• Pick the exit for your Area before you leave the hotel.
• Use the Central Flyover between Areas B and C.
• Submit a companion application at least 2 days before entry, and check the ID and phone number before you press submit.
• Keep the payment record; the invoice window is 30 days.
• Ask your hotel for its shuttle sheet, including the last-day return.
• Treat transfer and charter prices as "from" prices and get a written quote for fair dates.

Don't

• Don't order delivered food to the halls.
• Don't describe the halal-marked outlets as certified.
• Don't expect a same-day companion badge at the counter.
• Don't rely on a hotel shuttle on Oct 27 or Nov 4 without checking.

Still to confirm

• Companion badge colour: a colour guide says the companion lanyard is yellow; photos show a yellow lanyard and a brown band on the card. Do not call the card yellow.
• "Single-day" companion badges: the photos show single dates, but the portal record covers Oct 23-27. A multi-day application is shown, but we have not seen a final issued multi-day card. Do not infer a one-day-only limit from the photos.
• Where you pay: older walkthroughs say pay on site with the approval QR code; the portal shows a pre-payment screen with online refund and invoice rules. Not settled.
• Refund wording: the screenshot says paid, never-used badges can be refunded on request before Dec 4, 2026; the card adds "full", which the image does not say.
• Shuttle wait: the card adds "early boarders may wait 20-30 minutes"; the image only says the bus leaves when full.
• Last-day shuttles: one hotel; the card's wording "hotels do NOT operate" generalises from one report.
• Nanfeng Hui noodles: the card calls them "certified halal-style"; the image shows no halal mark.
• Phase scope of the Area C service page and catering map: not stated on the Area C page; the catering map covers all three phases but is a repost.
• Shuttle cart hours, frequency and fares: not in any image.
• Final-day hours: the Oct 15 infographic repeats 9:30-18:00 daily; it does not settle the last-day close or last admission.

Images that were partly unreadable

• Partly unreadable: a site map: the exact positions of the security-check and taxi icons could not be read at the image resolution. Its bottom half is a Phase 1 product layout, so it was not used for Phase 2/3.
• Read but not fully recorded: a site map (towers, wharf, gate positions), a catering page (outlet counts, Western outlets, staggered-meal notice), a facilities page (ATM/bank, info desk, first aid, AEDs); and a hall page (Art Ceramics at Hall 9.2). These details are cited as image readings in Chapters 1-8.
• Other images in the same posts were not transcribed.
• Possible maps or price lists not transcribed: badge-process posts (including payment), venue and transport posts (nearest metro to Area B, Phase 3 transport), price posts (airport transfer, Dongguan charter, hotel prices) and a post on scams. These are leads, not image evidence. A second look at the badge-process and Phase 3 transport posts would add the most.

Official sources

• Area A/D: Line 8 Xingangdong Exit A → Gate 6. Area B: Line 8 Pazhou A/B → Gate 4; Line 11 Pazhou E/F → Gate 3. Area C: Line 8 Pazhou C, a...
• Official Phase1 guide lists luggage storage, meditation room, first aid/AED, bank/ATM, photocopy/business-card printing, post and air/tra...
• Phase1 opening hours explicitly 9:30–18:00 October15–19. Guide says delivered food/drinks may not enter. This is current edition but only...
• Official Buyer Guide landing page currently exposes Phase 1 PDF only in readable extraction; no Phase 2/3 attachment found here. Therefor...
• Phase 2 C: Glass Artware 14.1/14.2/15.1/15.2; Household Items 14.3/14.4/15.2/15.3/15.4/16.2/16.3/16.4. D: Home Decorations 17.1–20.1; clo...
• Pazhou intercity exits K/J serve Area B; services connect Pazhou with Guangzhou South and Baiyun Airport T3. Exact schedules/fares/journe...
• Line 8 Pazhou entrances A/B/C/D; Line 11 Pazhou E/F. Lines are currently an OUTSIDE-STATION transfer, Line 8 A to Line 11 F via covered w...
• Gates 5/6/10 have temporary stop-and-go passenger bays. Taxi pickup 15:00–18:30: Huizhan Middle Road passage 2 and southbound right lanes...
• Ride-hailing pickup 16:00–19:00: Canton Fair Hall; eastbound Pazhou Avenue East 100m east of Huizhan East junction; Huizhan South 2nd Rd;...