Many people may have noticed that almost all daily necessities from toothbrushes, vases, desks, to countless others seem to have one similarity among them. Quite noticeably, almost all of these goods have the three words: “Made in China ” written on the label. People inevitably see this label every day yet never take the time to think about it. After all, China is the world’s number one exporter, selling 2.65 trillion dollars of goods in exports. Surprisingly, 60% of these exports come from just one city: Yiwu. Known as the “Largest Wholesale Market,” Yiwu produces millions of small commodities. Any household jewelry, stationary, and decor within your home could very well be manufactured in this city.
Compared to any of the six megacities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, each with a population of over 10 million people, Yiwu is relatively small with a population of 1.2 million people, 0.066% of the country’s total population. Because Yiwu lies in the Zhejiang province, it is only about 280 km from Shanghai. Due to its proximity to Shanghai, Yiwu is not only able to mass produce these products, but also to sell them, and thus Yiwu became a global economy.
The beginning of Yiwu’s path to becoming a center of global manufacturing started in 1982, when Deng Xiaoping, former Chinese leader and military commander, introduced a new idea: a transition from an agriculturally reliant economy to an economy based on the manufacturing and exportation of goods. This enabled manufacturers to be able to sell their products with ease, considering China’s new openness to global markets. As a result of this new idea, a new China was in development. A slow transition to a global economy, with exports increasing and imports decreasing, led into the 1990s when Jiang Zemin, former president of China, set up changes for crucial economic reforms, particularly by reorganizing the distribution of goods and services. This was followed by a slow decentralization, which allowed local governments to control themselves and the markets. This also gave companies and local businesses more freedom, allowing them to sell goods across an international market with a large audience due to China’s huge population.
Today, Yiwu still remains in the number one spot for manufacturing small commodities. These products are used everywhere around the world, but they all started here in the prosperous city of Yiwu. Any time you purchase a small item, you may very well be holding a product manufactured in Yiwu!
Sources: https://oec.world/en/profile/country/chn#:~:text=In%202020%2C%20China%20exported%20a,to%20%242.65T%20in%202020
https://asialinkbusiness.com.au/china/getting-started-in-china/chinas-economy?doNothing=1
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/yiwu-china-commodities-market?loggedin=true