Yiwu: a powerhouse of profits, products and professionalism

Located in the middle of East China's Zhejiang Province, Yiwu is known as the largest business center of small commodities in Asia. There is not much cultivated land available in the city, with an area of 1,105 square kilometers. So, in the past local people had to go to neighboring cities to conduct business.

The stereotype of a Yiwu vendor at that time is someone carrying two buckets of small goods - sugar, candy and embroidery needles for instance - on a bamboo-made shoulder pole, banging a small drum to attract attention.

A market named the Yiwu Small Commodity City was set up by the local government in 1982, in aim to make the city an international business center.