The hardware and tools sections at the Canton Fair Complex in Guangzhou was bustling on October 16, the second day of the 140th Canton Fair, with crowds of overseas buyers gathering at the booths of Zhongshan lock manufacturers.

At Sakura Locks' booth, general manager Zhu Haitao was demonstrating a smart door lock with a built-in screen to overseas buyers. "They are no longer simply comparing basic anti-theft performance and place greater emphasis on the smart experience, the design and the long-term reliability of the product," Zhu said.

A few steps away, Tieshen Lock's booth was also fielding wave after wave of buyers. In the point of view of general manager Li Baoqiang, the value of the Canton Fair lies not only in receiving orders on site; what matters more is hearing face to face what different markets actually need, and passing on the manufacturing strength and smart innovation of Zhongshan's lock industry to buyers from around the world.

Lock making is one of Zhongshan's signature industries. As demand for security upgrades keeps rising in hotels, long-term rental apartments and homes overseas, lock makers in Zhongshan are accelerating their shift from conventional mechanical processing into new areas such as smart security, remote monitoring and human-machine interaction.