At the 9th China International Import Expo, which closed on November 10, the China Pavilion featured a sandbox telling the story of how small commodities travel from factories nationwide to overseas markets, alongside a 3D printer and maker prototypes - all part of an exhibition themed "Opening a New Chapter, Winning a Shared Future."
"The sandbox shows the full journey of a single product," explained a guide. Foreign buyers place orders at the Yiwu market; merchants distribute them to factories across China; goods are sent to Yiwu, consolidated by market-procurement consolidators under an inspect-first, consolidate-later customs model, then shipped overseas via sea, land and air to overseas warehouses and finally to end customers.
Though not coastal, Yiwu connects to global logistics. Goods can be declared in Yiwu and reach the sea via rail-sea intermodal transport through Ningbo. The city now operates about 282 overseas warehouses. From "chicken feathers for sugar" to the "world supermarket," Yiwu's market-procurement trade model, customs clearance and logistics services continue to evolve.
