Yiwu: First Ethnographic Impressions

Written by PhD Researcher Fairuzah Munaaya Atchulo

Smaller, quieter, slower. These were my first impressions landing at the Yiwu airport from Guangzhou, and these impressions never left me in my three day ethnographic stay in the county.

The streets were sparser, the buildings somewhat not as imposing, and the scenery, interspersed with hills and greenery produced a pervasive sense of a much quieter, slower space trading atmosphere- at least in comparison to Guangzhou. And this impression accompanied me all the way to the sprawling building of the Yiwu International Trade Market. Right in the atrium, a large screen welcomed me with the words “Yiwu. China—World’s Capital of Small Commodities eagerly embraces your gracious presence”. With my presence graciously welcomed, I proceeded to spend the next hours walking the various Districts and floors dedicated to numerous jewellery, hair accessories, dolls, inflatables, lights, Christmas trees, decorations, toys, etc. As proudly advertised, the building tried its best to house all of the small commodities a family could possibly need. The floors dedicated to jewellery were less populated than the areas dedicated to toy guns, cars, kids tablet, and inflatables; all of which were crowded with families- and perhaps the Workers’ National Holiday played a significant role.

Walking along the aisles with my Chinese colleague, who had visited the market several times, he pointed out to me what to look for; which stalls I could buy pieces of jewellery and which ones I couldn’t. The 'No Pictures' signs on some stalls were also self- explanatory. Dedicated to wholesale, most stores operated on a Minimum Order Quantity, and buying just one necklace or bracelet was not acceptable given the margin of profit. Once in a while, a stall with a box or boxes of samples placed at the front provided such great opportunities for a singular purchase, of which I eagerly took advantage of by buying some necklaces and bracelets for myself. The copy bracelet design de jure were the various imitations of the Van Cleef bracelet; and one could not walk more than two stalls without seeing a different coloured version. So of course I bought one as soon as I got the opportunity. My visible lack of fluency in Chinese and appearance of an African trader with purchasing power allowed me to glide pass the various annoyances that came with my disappointing single purchases of meagre amounts. My Chinese colleague, unfortunately, bore the grunt of the annoyed and acerbic words.

However, the slow pace of the Yiwu International Trade Market did not at all extend to the Santing Night Market. I arrived at the entrance of Santing Market around 8:00pm to a policeman regulating traffic and a crowd all bustling edgewise to get into the market. Inside the market was a thriving site full of copy items from famous brands: Gucci glasses and bags, Louis Vuitton bags, designer perfumes, Fendi, Chanel, YSL, Alexander Wang, etc. All of these labels printed on the clothes in the styles of preferences of their Chinese customers without a care for copyright issues it seemed. Children, women, men, young girls, young boys, you name them were among the throng of people pushing and walking slowly to the other end of the lanes, all while finding a way to stop and check out the items that caught their eye. Half-way and at the end of the lanes were numerous food and drink vendors to provide some respite through this tiresome route.

All in all, I thought Yiwu a wonderful place to visit when Guangzhou feels too fast-paced, and I very much look forward to visiting again and going to the other markets I missed out on.