Yiwu is a trading city located in the middle part of Zhejiang province in the east of China. Yiwu city was established named Wushang village at the time of the Qin Shi Huang empire in 222 BC.
Then, in 1988, its name changed to Yiwu. Since Yiwu was not a suitable place for cultivation, therefore, the citizens used to do a business long time ago. They took needles, sugar, and other small goods in baskets made of bamboo and took them to other villages to exchange with feathers. Feathers are used for improving soil fertility or making dusters to export. The business was a noticeable part of the trade-in the city.
By the increase of traders, many wholesaling markets appeared in the city. In 1949, when the Communist Party took the power, “Capitalism” stopped and people began to trade in secrecy. In 1982, Xie Gaohua was appointed as the Party Secretary of Yiwu, and a month later a street vendor named Feng Ai Qian complained to him that why county authorities seized her goods and she is not allowed to work and support her poor family. After that, Xie Gaohua went to Wenzhou to do research and decided to build a trading market. In 1982, he announced the establishment of Huqingmen Market in Yiwu which allowed the farmers to enter the city and do business. This was the first commercial place built for farmers in China.
Economy:
Yiwu is called the economic frame of China market. It is known as the small commodities center in China. Yiuw Market is controlled and expanded by Zhejiang commodities city group. Yiwu small commodities market was among the China’s top 100 markets for six consecutive years. The market offers products with different qualities and lower costs. It is also the biggest jewelry producer in China. In 2005, the UN and World Bank selected Yiwu as the world’s largest wholesaling market.
Transportation:
Yiwu has international long-distance railways. Yiwu-Madrid with 8111 miles is the world’s longest railway. By sea, containers are sent to Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Poland, Germany, France, and finally Spain. The same route opened in 2016 to connect Yiwu to Tehran the capital of Iran. In 2017, a railway ran services between Yiwu and London. Daily, more than 60 trains depart from Hangzhou (A city of Zhejiang Province) east railway station to come to Yiwu. Alongside the trains, there are many shuttle buses operating inside and outside the city which is really convenient.
Culture:
Yiuw hosts different nations from all over the world and this issue has resulted in the advent of multiple cultures in Yiwu, which is quite different from Chinese culture. Inside the Yiwu city, there is a specific trading culture that is only known to traders in the city. Albeit, most of the sellers in Yiwu market are Chinese, many languages and accents are used to communicate like Persian, Arabic, English, and some more. There are more than 14000 oversea traders in Yiwu. A big portion of its population is Muslims who are engaged in business. Hence, there are many mosques and Halal foods. It is the heaven of foreign traders. Besides mosques, there is also a big church in the city that represents the diversity of religions in Yiwu.
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