2019-11-14 12:41
A small straw with a profit of only "8 cents" creates an output value of more than 200 million yuan every year, and the product is sold all over the world; an umbrella can be sold abroad after technological innovation Two to three thousand yuan; a set of traditional Russian handmade matryoshka dolls produced in a northeastern town can actually beat foreign companies and become a best-seller in the Russian market...
More than 2.1 million products from all over the country are sold to more than 200 countries and regions in Yiwu, Zhejiang every year. countries and regions. Each seemingly "inconspicuous" small commodity is written here with the legend of "making something out of nothing" and "turning stone into gold". Behind the legend of
lies not only the spirit of hard work and excellence of countless entrepreneurs, but also the courage of Chinese craftsmen to adapt to local conditions and pioneering and innovation, as well as the dividends of government policy promotion and the development of China's reform and opening up.
Yiwu’s first-generation small commodity market (Huqingmen) was taken in 1982. Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Yiwu Municipal Party Committee.
“Creating something out of nothing” “Small straws” hide big business.
Businessmen in Yiwu have often experienced the story of “exchanging chicken feathers for sugar”. Lou Zhongping, chairman of Yiwu Shuangtong Daily Necessities Co., Ltd., is no exception. He started walking around the streets at the age of 14. He sold toothbrushes, set up street stalls, worked as a blacksmith, engaged in breeding, and sold clothing... He has been engaged in more than 20 industries. In 1994, by chance, Lou Zhongping chose "a small straw" and started his own business, establishing "Two Children's Straws".
How much is a small straw worth? Lou Zhongping made an calculation: "The average sales price of a straw is 8 cents. After excluding production, sales and other costs, the net profit is only about 10%. In other words, production A straw can only earn 0.0008 yuan.” However, it is this kind of small commodity that is considered “low, small, bulky, and weak” by ordinary people, but it has allowed the former salesman to make a big business.
The spirit of hard work, studiousness and perseverance is the cornerstone of Yiwu people's hard work and wealth. "Human energy is limited, and it is enough to do one thing well in a lifetime." This is Lou Zhongping's practical declaration in the face of difficulties, and he himself does the same. Although the straw is small, the effort behind it is huge.
lacked funds to build a factory, so Lou Zhongping not only invested all his savings, but also closed down the profit-making stalls in the Yiwu market. With no industry standards and only an elementary school education, he immersed himself in formulating indicators and quantitative parameters. In October 1997, the Q/YCSX01 "Polypropylene Drinking Straws" enterprise standard drafted by Shuangtong Company passed the review and became the earliest product standard in the straw industry.
Made in China does not lack scale, but what it lacks is the quality of excellence.
"There is a disposable chopsticks factory in Nara , Japan. The scale is small and the equipment is not very advanced. However, the disposable chopsticks produced are as exquisite as handicrafts, the packaging is extremely exquisite, and the price is even higher in the country. More than 100 times that of similar products!"
A trip to Japan in 2000 left the word "craftsmanship" imprinted on Lou Zhongping's heart. In the following ten years, he always stuck to "this straw".
At the Shuangtong Straw Museum, Lou Zhongping was interviewed by a reporter from People's Daily Online. Photo by Chen Qi
Only through continuous innovation and upgrading can we stand out in the industry. Increase investment, continue to innovate, develop new products, and research patented products... Nowadays, when you walk into the Shuangtong Company Straw Museum, you will find windmill straws, glasses straws, music straws... straws with different shapes and functions that make people dizzy. One of the little love straws actually contains four invention patents. This "Internet celebrity" straw, which can be used by two people at the same time and can prevent cross-infection caused by liquid backflow, can be sold for more than 10 yuan per piece.
Lou Zhongping and his company are a typical case of the transformation and upgrading of "Made in Yiwu" and a microcosm of today's "Made in China".
Also in Yiwu International Trade City , an umbrella sold to the European market is priced as high as two to three thousand yuan. By insisting on independent product design and innovation and building its own brand, Zhang Jiying, chairman of Zhejiang Xingbao Umbrella Co., Ltd., has embarked on a path of differentiated competition. Her products are sold to more than 100 countries and regions, and there are two or three series of new styles every week. In Zhang Jiying’s words, “We are not only a brand, but also a top brand."
With this spirit of excellence, China's small commodities are becoming more and more popular in the international market.
"If more efforts are made in details, Chinese companies will definitely be able to develop and produce better products. Chen Yan, executive director of the Japan Enterprise (China) Research Institute, once said in an interview with the media that it is not that we cannot produce products at the same level as Japan, but that our manufacturers do not have enough understanding in this regard and have not made enough decisions. Kung Fu. Now, everyone’s consumption power has increased and they want to use more refined and safer products. Manufacturers must study this demand and understand the user experience, and cannot blindly pursue low prices.
“Small commodities” become big IP
. Among the more than 62 million products in Yiwu Commodity Market, there is a kind of exotic matryoshka dolls that is very popular among foreign businessmen. Most of them come from a small town called Yianpo
in Shangzhi City, Harbin, Heilongjiang. , this town has also become a hot search on Weibo with the name of "Northeast Matryoshka Town".
This town is surrounded by mountains on three sides and is adjacent to forest areas. The raw material of Russian matryoshka is here. Trees and linden trees. More than 30 years ago, the craftsmen of in Yimianpo Town, , discovered that they could make matryoshka dolls from the branches they usually burn at home, so the craftsmen started making matryoshka dolls at low cost. The production of Russian matryoshka dolls has gradually taken shape.
A worker of Yimianpo Matryoshka dolls is making a matryoshka doll. Photo by Ren Shuqin
"The current annual output reaches more than 10 million sets, with an annual output value of nearly 200 million yuan, accounting for about 90% of the country's production and sales of matryoshka dolls. %about. "Jiang Guixiang, the person in charge of the industrial project of Yimianpo Town, said that in addition to being sold domestically to Yiwu, Harbin and other places, Jiang Guixiang is also exported to many countries such as Russia. Speaking of this, Jiang Guixiang told reporters a story: There is a friend While traveling in Russia, I bought a matryoshka doll there, which I thought was more beautiful than in China. When I got home and showed it to my family, it clearly said "Made in China" and had a logo on it.
In Jiang Guixiang's opinion, The development of "Matryoshka Town" not only benefits from the rich local forestry resources, but also the low labor cost, convenient transportation environment and innovative technology of skilled craftsmen.
Currently, there are more than 20,000 households in Yianyipo Town. More than 1,000 households are engaged in the matryoshka doll industry. From turning, turning, drying to ironing and painting, a seemingly simple matryoshka doll production requires more than a dozen processes, and these processes have also formed a clear division of labor in the local area. "This is why other places cannot easily imitate the production of matryoshka dolls. "Jiang Guixiang said that through these divisions of labor, local villagers have also had higher incomes. Ordinary female painting workers can earn more than 3,000 yuan per month, while lathe workers can earn up to more than 10,000 yuan per month. "They no longer have to go out to work. Rural women You can make money at home. "
In addition to labor-intensive production, technological innovation is also an important reason for the rapid development of matryoshka town. Now, in order to continue to stabilize the market, matryoshka dolls that require "embroidery skills" have been developed by Yianpo craftsmen There are many types of crafts such as flat painting, pyrography and hot stamping, frosting, and baking.
Looking at China, we can also see such and such "Pencil Villages", "Swimsuit City", "Socks City" and "Guitar Towns"...
Similarly In Shangzhi, three Chenguang pencil production lines in Yuanbao Village process 1.8 billion pencils and 30 million pencil boards each year, accounting for 20% and 60% of the national total respectively.
In Liaoning Huludao , 4 units are sold globally. One piece of swimwear is produced here. More than 1,200 swimwear manufacturers are gathered in Xingcheng City, Huludao, with an annual output of 220 million pieces (sets) of swimsuits;
In Zhuji, Zhejiang, a small town accounts for 70% of China’s socks and 70% of China’s socks and 70% of swimsuits. % of hardware tubes and 80% of pearls;
In Huizhou, Guangdong, Qiuchang Street, Huiyang District, has gathered more than 200 guitar manufacturing and related companies, and more than 120 independent brands. The guitar output here accounts for about 10% of the country's total. 60% of the market and 25% of the world, and ukulele sales account for 80% of the world...
"Nowadays, many companies have begun to turn to being more refined and specialized. A small and beautiful company can also make a small product." To the extreme.Chen Jinlong, dean of the Enterprise Research Institute of Huaqiao University, believes that market capacity is limited, and small commodity manufacturers need to get rid of the traditional competitive thinking of "must be bigger and stronger" and form a set of specialized and refined growth models.
"In the 1990s In the 1990s, Yiwu 'introduced business to industry', implemented the strategy of 'promoting industry through business and linking trade and industry', and relied on the market to develop the small commodity processing industry. Almost every stall has a small workshop behind it, presenting a unique and flexible 'front shop and back factory' 'model. ” Ma Wenliang, deputy director of Yiwu Market Development Committee, introduced that with the professional division of labor, Yiwu currently has 13 national-level industrial bases, 1 national-level economic and technological development zone, 1 provincial-level industrial cluster, and 1 provincial-level industrial cluster. Level industrial park. More than 26,700 industrial enterprises have developed based on the market, and the outline of industrial clusters has initially emerged. 16 highly competitive industries such as knitted socks, accessories, handicrafts, toys, zippers, and wool textiles have emerged, showing the " The development trend of "small commodities, big industries", "small businesses, large clusters", "small scale, large radiation".
"Midstone into gold" "Small counties" out of the great openness
The development of many small commodities in China has a common model: making full use of local resources, the ingenuity and innovative spirit of craftsmen, and family-based processing enterprises. As the spring breeze of reform and opening up spreads across China, the production of these small commodities has been supported by local government policies and has been given wings to the rapid development of transportation and e-commerce. Since then, more "hidden champions" have sprung up from behind the scenes to the stage.
"In the early days, we relied on the market. When development reaches a certain level, the government will step in to create regional brands and characteristic industries to promote further upgrading of the industry. . "Chen Jinlong believes that China's small commodities can be made well. On the one hand, it is inseparable from the local market environment and resource advantages; on the other hand, correct guidance and support from the government also plays an important role in establishing regional brands and publicity to the outside world. Internally, standardize market management and provide good services.
In 1982, Yiwu announced the official opening of the "Small Commodity Market". Photo by Chen Qi
"If farmers can make a living and even get rich by engaging in 'chicken feathers for sugar' or selling other small commodities. As long as it is highly consistent with the spirit of the Party Central Committee, it is not illegal. "
37 years ago, Xie Gaohua, who had just served as the Secretary of the County Party Committee of Yiwu County (now Yiwu City), faced the pressure of "taking the capitalist road" and announced the opening of the "small commodity market", igniting the passion of Yiwu people to strive for entrepreneurship. Three months later , Xie Gaohua once again announced the "Four Permissions": allowing farmers to do business, allowing long-distance trafficking, allowing urban and rural markets to open, and allowing multi-channel competition.
In 2018, at the conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of reform and opening up, Xie Gaohua served as the "cultivator of the Yiwu small commodity market." "Reform Pioneer" was awarded the title of "Reform Pioneer".
Looking back on Yiwu's development, the government's leading and supporting role runs throughout: resisting pressure to open the Yiwu small commodity market, building a credit system to promote "building a business with trust", "it can't be done once" "Into a window" to increase the reform of "decentralization, regulation and service"...
When doing business in Yiwu, there is a special threshold: new business operators must pass training before they can take up the job. What training? Integrity awareness and service awareness.
Every Yiwu market There is a sign on the door of the store - a small bronze medal issued by the government for "Integrity Merchant". The more stars on it, the better the credit. By scanning the merchant's QR code with your mobile phone, you can check the merchant's credit status, whether it delivers goods on time, and Whether there are any wages in arrears. Stores with high credit ratings will be given discounts such as low-interest credit loans. The higher the credit rating, the greater the discounts. Those who are seriously dishonest will be punished by taking back the store and being expelled from the market.
"In Yiwu, even Stones also have a chance to shine. Malaysian businessman Guo Jifu said that his entrepreneurial story after settling in Yiwu is a good example.
In 2004, Guo Jifu took root in Yiwu and engaged in crystal trade, and his products were sold to many countries and regions. At the moment, he is busy Preparing for the Malaysian National Pavilion. He hopes to use this platform to help Malaysian manufacturers enter China at the most affordable price and through the most formal channels, and then sell them from Yiwu to all of China or the world.
At the same time, Chinese products are transforming into Chinese brands, including Chinese small commodities.
"We are actively promoting the improvement of product quality and brand creation in the market. We are vigorously promoting innovative designs into the market, and platforms such as the Science and Technology Product Exhibition Center, the 'Made in Zhejiang' Function Center, and the International Brand Alliance Brand Incubation Center have further given full play to 'innovation, creativity, brand, "Quality and standards play a leading role in aggregation," Ma Wenliang said.
On the same slope, in order to prevent vicious competition caused by the large number of small businesses, under the leadership of the town government, the local Matryoshka Doll Association was established in 2013 to make the price of the entire industry more stable and achieve technology sharing and supply sharing.
With the support of the state, more "Made in China" products are moving from Yiwu to the world.
In 2011, the State Council approved the "Overall Plan for the Comprehensive Reform Pilot of International Trade in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province". This is the first county-level city comprehensive reform pilot approved by the State Council in my country and the first national-level comprehensive reform pilot in Zhejiang.
The Yiwu-Madrid train was launched on November 18, 2014. Photo by Wang Jianming
On November 8, 2014, the first "Yi-Xin-Europe" China-Europe train departed from Yiwu carrying 82 TEUs. Up to now, the "Yi-Xin-Europe" train has run nearly 900 round-trips, covering 8 provinces and cities domestically with nearly 2,000 kinds of commodities, and abroad reaching 37 countries and regions in Eurasia;
In 2018, Yiwu's e-commerce transaction volume reached 236.8 billion yuan , among which, cross-border e-commerce retail exports account for about 1/2 of Zhejiang Province;
On October 9, 2019, the Yangtze River Delta region’s first cross-border e-commerce China-Europe freight train - "Yixinou" ( Yiwu-Liege) eWTP (World Electronic Trade Platform) Cainiao account has been officially opened, and cross-border e-commerce packages are sent directly from Yiwu to Europe.
In 2019, a new "market" with the theme of Internet celebrity live broadcasts was born on the third floor of the second area of the International Trade City. The live broadcast center has set up a total of 22 live broadcast rooms, inviting Internet celebrities and business owners to start selling goods on the Taobao live broadcast platform at the same time.
“Creating something out of nothing” “Everything out of nothing” is how many people evaluate the development of Yiwu, and it is also a reflection of the development of China’s small commodity market. Running through it is a finger that turns stone into gold, matching and leading the market's "invisible hand" with the government's "visible hand".
As General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out, "Promote the transformation from Made in China to Created in China, China's speed to China's quality, and Chinese products to China's brands." China's small commodities are relying on the "Belt and Road" initiative to integrate online and offline , import and export linkage, allowing more Chinese manufacturing to go global from Yiwu, Huizhou, Heilongjiang, and online. From small and beautiful to comprehensive and refined, more Chinese small commodities will move from "hidden champions" to the world.
Editor: Liu Jie
