THE city of Yiwu in Zhejiang Province is an inland city with neither a coastline nor a border crossing, yet its trade networks now extend across the globe.
With more than 10,000 foreign-invested business entities and 38,000 resident foreign merchants, Yiwu’s imports and exports reached a record of 209.37 billion yuan ($29 billion) in the first quarter of this year.
A dazzling array of products has long been Yiwu’s most recognizable hallmark; however, a closer look reveals what makes foreign merchants “come and never want to leave” goes far beyond simply “having everything.”
Turning impossible into reality
“Without Yiwu, there would be no me today,” Senegalese businessman Sourakhata Tirera often says. In 2003, Tirera came to Yiwu to purchase hardware products. Stepping into the International Trade Market for the first time, he was deeply impressed.
His company sends out 200 to 300 containers every month, with its business expanding to more than 1,000 categories and offering one-stop sourcing services for clients across multiple African countries.
Reporters met Tirera after he had just finished receiving a trade delegation from Gabon. He described Yiwu as a place “that changes every day,” speaking highly of the city’s openness and inclusiveness for providing entrepreneurs with “a stage to pursue their dreams.”
A spirit of daring, resilience, and entrepreneurship is deeply embedded in Yiwu’s character.
“All foreign merchants who built businesses in Yiwu have gone through ups and downs. We’ve tasted success and faced setbacks,” Soula said. “But both the city and its merchants have always carried the courage to embrace change and confront challenges head-on. Growing together with Yiwu has been the proudest choice of my life.”
Yemeni trader Maged Mohammed Ali Al-Huraibi has always regarded Yiwu as an ideal testing ground for entrepreneurship.
In 2008, he arrived in Yiwu set up a cosmetics trading company that sources makeup and skincare products for export to the Middle East.
“A friend once told me that if you have dreams and goals, Yiwu can make them happen. He was right,” Maged said.
“Yiwu fulfilled my entrepreneurial dream. Now I hope to bring Yiwu-made beauty products to even more countries and regions around the world,” Maged said.
The Yiwu spirit — “hardworking, eager to learn, upright, courageous, honest and inclusive” — continues to inspire entrepreneurs from around the world to pursue their dreams. What foreign merchants gain here is not only business success, but also a sense of confidence in hard work and the future.
Making what the market demands
If “having everything” is Yiwu’s first calling card for attracting foreign merchants, then its ability to “create something out of nothing” is the deeper reason many choose to stay.
Nepali trader Khadka Raj Kumar came to Yiwu for the first time in 2002 after learning that products here were affordable. He made a special trip to explore the market, and over the following decade, frequently traveled between Yiwu and Nepal to run his foreign trade business.
“This is a city that genuinely welcomes foreigners,” Kumar said. According to him, Yiwu has always respected differences and embraced diversity, offering fair development opportunities to businesses from different countries and of different sizes.
In June 2025, Yiwu became the first Chinese city to introduce standards for identifying “foreign business talents,” evaluating applicants based on practical contributions such as years of work experience, job creation and trade volume.
“I submitted my application right away, and it was approved very quickly,” Kumar said.
With 38,000 foreign merchants from more than 100 countries and regions, Yiwu has brought its pragmatic and efficient market-oriented mindset to social governance, shifting its focus from simply “managing foreigners” to cultivating “global partners.”