Characteristic town boosts East China's home furniture industry

It has been 17 months since the characteristic town opened to the public in July 2018. It has since become home to over 50 design companies and joined hands with world-leading design institutes from Spain and Italy's Milan to carry out research and improve its design capabilities.

A number of professors and universities are helping the town improve its technological foundation, such as Doctor Gan Zhongxue and the Harbin Institute of Technology, offering intelligent solutions to lower costs for local furniture factories and make more efficient use of space.

Avant-garde and customized wooden products created with the help of intelligent manufacturing will decorate homes around the world, as the nearby e-commerce headquarters is working to attract more international orders. Live streaming sales, one of the most convenient and preferred styles for online shoppers, has also presented new possibilities for the local industry.

"Sales via live streaming give less developed areas like Nankang a chance to prosper," said Xiao Yongchang, manager at a local e-commerce company.

A few kilometers away, at an international inland port built in 2016, lies the final key to unlocking Nankang's access to the international market.

"Furniture and other products from Nankang have been sold to over 100 countries and regions; 19 cargo routes directly connect Nankang with six Central Asian and European countries, including Russia, Germany, Finland, Norway and Sweden," said Li Xu, executive assistant at the port.

"Dozens of foreign trade enterprises in the district have taken the initiative to set up warehouses and marketing departments overseas," Li added.

Nankang was once an area lacking in wood resources and a convenient traffic network, but the influx of carpenters who previously made a living in the developed coastal province of Guangdong has boosted Nankang's home furniture industry.