Yiwu Travel Guide,Yiwu International Trade City,

 

 

As a typical result of the Reform and Opening-up Policy implemented about thirty years ago, Yiwu (义乌) has strictly adhered and emphasized the development strategy of "vitalized a city through encouraging commerce". By fostering, developing and promoting the modern market economy, as well as making effort in industrializing, internationalizing and integrating the urban and rural areas as a unity, Yiwu has characterized itself to a unique way of regional economic development.

In the past, Yiwu was a very poor countryside area in central Zhejiang Province, located south of Hangzhou, the provincial capital. This was due to the fact that the natural-dependent agricultural condition was not good, so people's livelihood was quite harsh. The peasants had to abandon their farmlands, shifting their business to sell candies and toys on the streets. When the local government was driving out the street stalls and hawkers, these poor merchants were luckily exempted from the harsh destiny. 

The enterprising spirit of Yiwu people has made the city well developed. In early 1980s, the local government relaxed the strict policy of forbidding peasants to do business. Since then Yiwu people took the chance and began to do what others still hesitated to do so. Through years to hardworking, they accumulated enough capital to buy manufacturing machines and set up new factories here. These family-run factories were located just in front of the owners' homes.

This style of running business was approved by the local government, for which revenue income had been tremendously increased. Out of the blue, when the market formed and its scale was becoming larger and larger, outside merchants fluxed into Yiwu. Merchandises from neighboring areas were being imported into Yiwu. Thus, Yiwu people have gradually become rich. In the early stage of the business in Yiwu, merchandises were processed for export to Guangzhou, Ningbo and Wenzhou, where there were very few local made products. At that time the manufacturing industry could make high profits in Yiwu, so it served as a backup place for those cities. 

The minds of merchants here in Yiwu felt very upset about the existing situation. They wanted to set up their own merchandise enterprises. The advantages of these enterprises are such that the bosses were peasants when they were young, not quite well educated, but they know to sell what will make a high profit. They don't know what the core of business management is. They hire migrant workers from Jiangxi and Anhui Provinces. Their products are mostly daily commodities and small handicrafts of budget prices. If customers don't like them, the businessmen will sell another kind of products. They will do so until the customers satisfy their products, for which they will engage in mass production. This style of doing business is being called "grass-root economy".

The gigantic merchandise market in Yiwu is now the biggest of its kind in the world and it has become a great tourist attraction. It is a fashionable trend that people at home and abroad visit Yiwu to purchase beautiful commodities of low prices. In addition to shopping, the 2000-year history, the rich cultural heritage and the beautiful scenery will add much interest to a China tour.

Transportation

As an internationally renowned merchandise market city, the traffic in Yiwu is very convenient. You can take fast-speed train from Hangzhou just consuming you less than an hour. Many expressways pass through the city and have exits here, such as Provincial Expressways Nos. 03, 20 and 37. Yiwu Airport is now the second civil aviation station of county level in China. It is large enough for landing of Boeing 747, MD 82 passenger aircrafts. The well-facilitated airport provides flight services to Beijing, Guangzhou, Xiamen (Amoy) and Shenzhen etc.