Caribbean content creators explore Linyi's markets

"I just want to buy everything," said Omkar Dhannoolal, a content creator from Trinidad and Tobago, as he explored the wholesale markets in Linyi, Shandong province, known for its extensive commodity markets and wholesale trade.

Eleven media professionals and content creators from Caribbean countries visited several of the city's markets on Oct 21, where they were impressed by the variety, quality and affordability of the products.

"It's a one-stop shop for everything," said Clifton Braam, an entertainment content creator from Suriname, while visiting a building specializing in hotel supplies. He was impressed by the variety of Chinese-made products available under one roof.

The group visited a store operated by Haoduobao Supply Chain Company, which specializes in a "whole-store export" model. Its uniform-price stores offer a range of small commodities, and the company now operates over 300 stores in more than 40 countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Mexico and Nigeria.

At the Linyi International Product Selection Center, Stacey Natalie Rahaman, a content creator from Guyana, saw potential links between Linyi's wholesale markets and the development needs of her home country.

"Guyana is currently experiencing a developmental boom and a construction boom," she said, adding that the markets could help connect Guyanese developers with Chinese suppliers of construction materials, household goods and furniture.

"Wholesale buying is exactly what we're looking for," she said.

Linyi, known as the "Logistics Capital of China", is home to 136 specialized wholesale markets offering more than 6 million products across 27 major categories. The city's more than 3,000 logistics routes connect it with all cities at or above the county level and ports across China.

From January to August, Linyi Trade City, one of China's largest wholesale market clusters, recorded total imports and exports of 85.75 billion yuan ($12.73 billion), up 9.7 percent year-on-year.