Yiwu, Trading metropolis in Zhejiang Province, China
This place is a county-level city in Zhejiang Province in eastern China, functioning as a global trading hub for small commodities. The markets spread across several multi-storey complexes where thousands of stalls display everything from jewelry to toys.
Traders here exchanged chicken feathers for needles for centuries before economic reforms after 1978 turned the place into an international trading center. The construction of permanent market halls in the 1980s drew buyers from around the world.
The name comes from classical Chinese texts referring to duty and righteousness, values that have shaped local trading ethics for centuries. Many merchants meet in teahouses each morning to discuss business and maintain connections.
Arriving early in the morning helps avoid crowds and meet vendors who can negotiate more freely. Most traders speak basic English or work with translators to serve foreign buyers.
More than 14,000 foreign traders from over 100 countries live here permanently and negotiate daily in the market halls. The place even operates its own international post office that ships billions of packages each year around the world.
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