
The 48th edition of CIFF Shanghai will be held from 3 to 6 September 2021 in Shanghai, China. Spanning two floors at the National Exhibition & Convention Centre in Hongqiao, CIFF brings hope for a world that is slowly regaining normalcy and stability amid the pandemic.
Founded in 1998 in Guangzhou, CIFF takes place twice a year, in spring and autumn. In 2015, the organisers moved the September edition from Guangzhou to Shanghai, thereby distinguishing the two editions that attract distinct markets and visitor targets.
Together, the two editions involve over 6,000 of the top Chinese and international brands each year and host over 500,000 trade visitors from around the world. Throughout the pandemic, CIFF has suffered no decline. In fact, the latest edition of CIFF Guangzhou reported a 20% increase compared to the pre-COVID period.
There will be over 150,000 buyers and 2,000 exhibitors at CIFF Shanghai this year, occupying an area of 400,000 square metres, mainly from China due to the COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the Chinese government.
The 48th CIFF Shanghai will be business-oriented, with its primary focus on the value of design and the culture of good living, expanded and interpreted across all sectors of the fair, from Home Furniture to Homedécor & Hometextile, from Outdoor & Leisure to Office Furniture to Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Machinery.

The 48th CIFF Shanghai will showcase the best design brands, offering new solutions that create a new experience for the industry, alongside the leading brands in upholstered furniture, promoting development in the sector with the technological and functional innovations of their products.

It will be an edition full of events and exhibitions addressing issues related to the furniture market and the quality of the environments in which we live and work, but also discussions about how and to what extent good furniture can concretely improve people’s well-being and quality of life, a topic dear to many, especially after the lockdowns during the pandemic. Much space, both physical and conceptual, will be dedicated to the most advanced technologies applied to furnishings. In offering all this, the fair never loses touch with its Eastern identity, acting as a launching pad for good Chinese design and giving visibility to schools, institutions, and young talents entering the world of work.
A standout in this panorama, the EAST Design Show, will make its now-usual appearance. Organised by Zhu Xiaojie and now in its sixth edition, the show is positioned as an “incubation platform for young, up-and-coming designers”, bringing the leading brands in home furnishings together with Asian designers and design schools in an exploration of the value of design.
Among other events, the Design Dream Show (DDS) will create eight trend sectors under the theme “New Wave · New Sound Filed”, including a Trendy Play Special Exhibition Zone, Creative Market, Modern Fashion Workshop, Materials Academy, High-end Social Platform, Future Life Exploration Zone, D-Talk Forum, and Designers’ Club!; the Office Life Theme Pavilion, organised by Xu Zhaoming, will present interesting new concepts for workplace design under the theme “Office Customization • Harmony & Symbiosis”; and the Daguan Tea Ceremony will be dedicated to furnishings designed to facilitate better living and tea appreciation while also sharing the ancient tradition’s values.
In conjunction with CIFF Shanghai 2021, the 4th edition of the Shanghai International Furniture Machinery & Woodworking Fair, a furniture industry trade fair organised by CIFF in collaboration with Hong Kong Adsale, will be held in Halls 7.1 and 8.1 and brought to life by leading Chinese and international manufacturers who will present production technologies and all types of process machinery.
Though it is still difficult for foreign individuals to attend this edition, there will be no shortage of articles, livestreams, and resources to make everyone feel present and central.
CIFF Guangzhou and CIFF Shanghai complement each other in order to strengthen each other and to grow together.
The 48th CIFF Shanghai will be held in Shanghai Hongqiao from 3 to 6 September 2021 (home furniture, homedecor & hometextile, outdoor & leisure furniture, office furniture, commercial furniture, hotel furniture and furniture machinery)
The 49th CIFF Guangzhou will be held in Guangzhou Pazhou from 18 to 21 March 2022 (1st phase – home furniture, homedecor & hometextile, outdoor & leisure furniture) and from 28 to 31 March 2022 (2nd phase – office furniture, commercial furniture, hotel furniture and furniture machinery & raw materials).
For more information, visit www.ciff.furniture.