As the Hangzhou Asian Games approaches, the “world supermarket” at Yiwu shows the dividends of the Asian Games’ economy. Customs data shows that Yiwu exported 3.52-billion-RMB worth of sporting goods in the first half of this year, a year-on-year increase of 22.5%. It’s apparent that orders for sporting goods from Asian countries are increasing.

The various sporting goods sold by the Yiwu International Trade City include jerseys, sneakers, basketballs, footballs, table tennis equipment, national flags, cheering sticks, and treadmills. The reporter walked into the third district of Yiwu International Trade City and saw that the sporting goods business area was full of dazzling arrays. Buyers are coming and going, and the languages of various countries intertwine in the area.

The Hangzhou Asian Games also indirectly increased the craze for sports and fitness. The sports goods in the Yiwu International Trade City are very hot, and the workshop of Yiwu’s Kangman Sports Goods Company is even hotter. Hu Fangjun, the general manager of the company, said that orders from emerging markets this year have exceeded those from traditional European and American markets, mainly in Southeast Asia and South America. The order volume has increased by 80% year-on-year.

According to customs statistics, Yiwu's total import and export value from January to July reached 321.10 bn RMB, an increase of 19.7% when compared with the same period last year. (By Qu Lingyan—Xinhua News, translated by Jiang Yifan, edited by Daniel Haws)