Two months after Dalian's last coronavirus outbreak, the coastal city in northeastern China is getting back on its feet. Dalian has just concluded its annual International Garment and Textile Fair in another step towards recovery.

The 2020 China International Garment and Textile Fair is the first big event Dalian has held amid the outbreak. Although some global companies couldn't come because of the pandemic, their Chinese counterparts' expectation when it comes to expand business remains high despite the COVID-19 impact.

Clothing companies from around the country attended this year's expo, including Dayang Group, the world's largest producer of made-to-measure garments. The pandemic has taken a toll on the company's revenue this year, as around 60 percent of Dayang's business relies on overseas orders.

"Stores have opened gradually over the last couple of months. But the pandemic hasn't been rooted out. So customers come less frequently, and as a result, our rapid-response supply chain has been interrupted," said Hu Dongmei, general manager of Dayang Group.

The company has decided to shift its focus to the domestic market. Hu said the expo came at the right time for Dayang to showcase its products to customers at home, tailored for the Chinese market, both in price and fashion styles.

"We hope to make an impression, to open up the domestic market and to boost and channel circulation at home and abroad," said Hu.

COVID-19 has spawned fresh opportunities and new trends at this year's garment expo. Medical equipment, such as protective suits, debuted for the first time in the expo's 31-year history.

"Over the past few days, we've received customers who are interested in working with us. I believe this year's garment expo will bring in more orders and benefits for enterprises," said Wang Jifu, CEO of Dalian Xinxin, a local company that used to make work suits, switching to hospital garments when the outbreak began. It has produced more than a million pieces this year. One-third of this stock was shipped to countries including Japan and the United States.

"We all hope the industry recovers soon. As for the expo, the idea is to serve as a platform for people to present inspiration, products, services and exchanges," said Zheng Xiaojie, assistant director of the International Garment and Textile Fair office.

The expo also went online for the first time as a way to offset the impact of coronavirus, It's expected that the online and offline events will attract over 300,000 visits in total.