Huanqiu and other Chinese outlets ran a series spotlighting the development experience of Yiwu in Zhejiang. Yiwu began as a distribution hub for small commodities such as buttons, toys and accessories and grew into a trading city connected to countries worldwide.

The reports cite Yiwu's combination of large wholesale markets, logistics networks and e-commerce—giving small manufacturers and distributors access to global markets—as the backdrop to its growth. International buyers and traders come and go, forming a multinational marketplace.

The Yiwu case shows how small merchants at the base of manufacturing and distribution take part in global supply chains, with the point that the more standardized the payment and delivery infrastructure, the lower the barrier to entry.

For overseas Chinese merchants, Yiwu is also well known as a sourcing base. Quite a few Chinese-community small-business owners in Korea and Southeast Asia procure goods through Yiwu.

We do not promote a particular locale's achievements but pick out elements useful to small merchants and trade practitioners—focusing on the marketplace built by openness, infrastructure and the movement of people.