By the standards of other successful Chinese cities, Yiwu is more down-and-dirty. There are none of the showpiece infrastructure…

“By the standards of other successful Chinese cities, Yiwu is more down-and-dirty. There are none of the showpiece infrastructure projects like new expressways and elaborate modern skyscrapers that proliferate in other Chinese cities. While clearly all this trade has made many in Yiwu very rich, the city looks like the China of twenty years ago. Its market stalls are not the kind of place where most Chinese care to shop these days. Chinese, especially urban-dwellers, like well-designed brand-name chain stores with higher-quality merchandise and slick packaging.”

–Yiwu: China’s Little Known Capital of Commerce (viaiamdanw)