China is becoming the largest advertising base in the world, said participants at the 12th China Advertising Festival in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province.

"I wish to express my ideas with minimal language and strongest visual impact. This is a trendy practice in international advertisement," said Hui Hongjun, from a Xi'an-based advertising company.

"China has a great potential to form the largest advertising center in the world, since there are over 100,000 agencies with 910, 000 people working in advertising," said Wu Xiaobo, an advertisement manager.

According to Wu's analysis, in the next five years China's advertising industry will experience rapid progress. The number of small-sized agencies will double by that time.

There are currently about 230 colleges in China offering advertising courses. In the coming three to five years there will be 30,000 graduates working in advertising.

"As so many well-educated people take up advertising, the heated competition will elevate the levels of advertisement," said Wu.

Greg Sonbuchner, president of New York Advertising Festival, remarked that China is not devoid of talented people with original ideas. It just needs more exchange and communication with others.

America boasts the most advanced advertising industry in the world. But China's advertising market, with an annual growth of over 30 percent, is getting more attention.

The China Advertising Festival, sponsored by the China Advertising Association, was first held in 1982. Since then it has been held across the country at irregular intervals.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2005)