The town where Christmas lasts all year long
- Christmas is big business in Yiwu's markets where all kinds of festive goods are on sale
- Orders come from places as far away as Europe, the United States and South America
- Yiwu produces about 60 per cent of the world’s Christmas decorations and more than 90 percent of China’s Christmas decorations
- This year however, European demand for Christmas goods has dropped sharply
In China there is a place where it's Christmas every day.
But this is not because everyone gets to open presents brought by Santa Claus all year round – it's more much commercial than that.
Two hours by train from Shanghai lies the market town of Yiwu in Zhejiang province. A holiday shopper’s paradise, it is filled with storefront vendors selling all manner of small commodities, but it's biggest business is Christmas.
A man wearing a Christmas hat works at a factory producing Christmas decorations in Yiwu, Zhejiang province
An employee makes plastic Christmas trees at the Zhongsheng Christmas Crafts factory in Yiwu
A woman in Yiwu market works on a computer at a Christmas decoration shop
A vendor in Yiwu stands at the entrance of his Christmas decoration shop next to plastic Santa Claus toys
The International Business Times reported the stalls at Yiwu's indoor market is overflowing with trees, lights, decorations, tinsel, bows and just about everything connected to the festive season. Unlike the rest of the world, it’s almost a year-round business for Yiwu Christmas market vendors.
It's so large that the market will take more than a day to walk around, and to say that the traders here sell in bulk is an understatement.
According to a report by Chinese website Sina News, Yiwu produces about 60 per cent of the world’s Christmas decorations and more than 90 percent of China’s Christmas decorations.
For other Christmas decoration factories and retailers in China, Christmas starts as early as July and ends in late September, when massive orders from around the world flood in.
An employee makes plastic Christmas trees at the Zhongsheng Christmas Crafts factory in Yiwu
Yiwu is considered a bellwether for China's low-cost exports, especially exports destined for emerging markets, reported Reuters.
Orders come from places as far away as Europe, the United States and South America. This year however, European demand for Christmas goods has dropped sharply, local vendors said. One estimated European orders were down 20 percent from last year, while another said his European orders had fallen by 40 percent.
According to Sina, the vice chairman for the Yiwu Christmas Products Industry Association, Cai Qingliang, said that although overseas sales have dwindled this year, domestic orders have increased.
A man walks past a Christmas decoration advertisement on the wall of a shop in Yiwu, Zhejiang province
Plastic Santa Claus toys are displayed at a Christmas shop in Yiwu's commercial district
“I sell Christmas trees from March to December,” a shopkeeper with the surname Ji, told CNN. “Most customers buy 3,000 (yuan) to 4,000 yuan trees.”
China may not celebrate Christmas in the religious or traditional sense, but towns like Yiwu can make the most out of it from a business point of view.
“The market is the town,” said another vendor, who gave her name as He. “Other towns are far away. It takes time for products to get there. Here, it’s always Christmas.”
Natalia Malharoblishvki from Georgia buys Christmas decorations from a Yiwu market shop
While for some Yiwu factory workers, the whole idea of Christmas is lost on them.
“Maybe it’s the [Chinese] New Year for foreigners,” 19-year-old Wei, a local worker, told CNN.
Wei and his father work in the factory together, contributing to Christmas by making plastic snowflakes for about 10 hours a day, every day.
And even though Wei’s father wears a Santa hat to work it protects his hair from the red dye that consumes the factory – he doesn’t plan on celebrating the holiday.
Christmas decoration vendor Shi Kuan Hua stands at his shop in Yiwu waiting for customers
A Christmas decoration shop in Yiwu is open for business – 12 months of the year
Nick Bryant, www.yourchinagent.com
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