Yiwu - A traders' paradise

This Shanghai suburb was created as a small commodity city in 1982. The current population is 1.2 mn and it is being developed as the supermarket of the world. The city has an airport that proposes to serve a dozen domestic destinations, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shantou and Shenzhen.

Items traded include kitchenware, handicraft, toys and jewellery. It has a large population of Indian traders, including many who operate in the Gulf and African markets. The trading hub is very popular because of the availability of a large number of items in different markets. Of late, the profit margins for Indian traders have shrunk leading to petty disputes among themselves and with Chinese traders.