小商品，大世界Small Commodities, Vast World:

陈宇鹏

义乌，这座位于浙江省中部的县级市，目前已经成为全球最大的小商品商贸中心，与全球233个国家和地区有贸易往来，商品种类多达210余种。近年来，通过商品交易形成的“义乌指数”，被网友称为“神秘的东方力量”。

Yiwu， a county-level city in the heart of Zhejiang Province， has now become the worlds premier hubfor small commodities. With extensive trade connections spanning 233 countries and regions， it boasts astaggering array of over 210 product categories. This meteoric rise has given birth to the “Yiwu Index，” hailedby internet users as an “enigmatic force from the East.”

义乌是公认的“世界超市”。基于商品销售情况形成的“义乌指数”在一定程度上反映了世界经济的发展趋势。尽管在专家学者看来，这一指数的逻辑性不严谨，但这并不妨碍其成为人们津津乐道谈论经济形势的参考。

Yiwu is known as the “Worlds Supermarket.” Yiwu Index， derived from its commodity transactions， offersa glimpse into the trajectory of the worldwide economy. While experts and scholars may critique its logicalrigor， it remains a fervently discussed topic among individuals seeking insights into economic trends.

时尚之义乌

Yiwu as a Trendsetting Hub

义乌，可以称得上是最懂世界口味的市场。在今年的龙年新春，年画成为义乌市场的一大销售热点。但今年的年画已不再是传统的样子，它正在变成年轻人喜欢的模样。春节前，一对来自河南南阳的姐妹花来义乌进货，看到龙年的年画，她们激动地说：“今年的龙被设计得特别‘奶，表情生动，特别可爱”，“有些龙在形态上融入了各种国际动漫的元素，有些小龙与醒狮组成CP，给人留下很深刻的印象”。在设计工艺上，年画也在不断创新，现在还出现了用不褪色的绒布全胶制作的、适合潮湿多雨的南方地区张贴的对联。

Yiwu stands out as a market that truly graspsglobal preferences. This Lunar New Year， New Yearpaintings have emerged as a favorite in the market.However， these paintings have significantly evolvedto cater to the tastes of todays youth. Ahead ofthe festival， two sisters from Nanyang City， HenanProvince， travelled to Yiwu in search of goods. Theirexcitement was palpable as they gazed upon the Yearof the Dragon paintings. “This years dragons lookvery trendy， lively and cute，” they exclaimed. “Somelook like popular international cartoons， while others，depicted alongside dancing lions， are so memorable.”The innovation in design and craftsmanship of NewYear paintings continues unabated. Now， there areeven couplets crafted from fade-resistant plush fabricwith full adhesive backing， perfect for the humid andrainy climates of southern regions.

除了在国内市场备受欢迎，年画也一直深受海外华人的喜爱。在一家年画店里，一款印着越南文、会摆动的“财神”非常引人注目。据悉，这款产品还有泰语、马来语等多种语言版本，被卖到海外华人聚集的地方。店主介绍，海外华人其实更喜欢传统的年画款式，所以今年他们设计了一条“挂龙”，印刷成五种尺寸运送到了捷克。伴随着国潮的兴起，他们设计的充满萌感的“年画龙”也成了海外客商的必购款。如今，由义乌国际商贸城六七百个商家自主设计和生产、输送到世界各地的中国年画，占据了全球年画80%的市场。这既是中国传统文化的魅力，也是积极创新、与时尚同步的动力。

Beyond captivating the domestic market， NewYear paintings have always held a special place inoverseas Chinese communities. In one New Yearpainting shop， a “God of Wealth” adorned withVietnamese characters and capable of swingingcaught the attention of many. What is even moreamazing is that this product is also available inmultiple language versions， including Thai and Malay，for overseas Chinese. The shop owner revealed thatoverseas Chinese often favor traditional styles ofNew Year paintings. Thus， this year， they introduceda “hanging dragon” design， available in five differentsizes for shipping even to the Czech Republic.Alongside the surge in Chinese fashion trends， theirresistibly cute New Year Dragon has become a staplepurchase for overseas merchants. Today， the NewYear paintings designed and produced by six to sevenhundred merchants from Yiwu International TradeCity dominate 80% of the global New Year paintingmarket. This isnt merely a testament to the appeal ofChinese traditional culture; it is also a testament toinnovation that is attuned to the pulse of fashion.

“义新欧”助力

Boost from the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe Freight Trains

2014年开通的“义新欧”中欧专列，使义乌与世界实现了商品的“双循环”。“义新欧”从义乌出发，载着服装、汽车配件、玩具、饰品等各类小商品，历时21天，把商品出口到沿途的哈萨克斯坦、俄罗斯、波兰、德国、法国等八个国家；返程时，再满载欧洲的红酒、橄榄油、奶粉等产品归来，满足中国消费者的需求。

Since its launch in 2014， the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe （YXE）freight train service has revolutionized the global supply of goods.Departing from Yiwu， the train starts a 21-day journey， transportingclothing， auto parts， toys， and accessories， to eight countries alongthe route， including Kazakhstan， Russia， Poland， Germany， andFrance. It then returns laden with European products like wine，olive oil， and milk powder， to Chinese consumers.

“义新欧”的创始人叫冯旭斌，是义乌人。2013年，冯旭斌在看到有关“一带一路”的新闻后，忽然萌发一个大胆的设想：能否开出一班从义乌至马德里的国际铁路货运班列？当初，很多人认为他是异想天开。国际班列不同于国内班列，需要协调的部门、环节非常多，班列经过诸多国家，也会遇到各种问题和困难，这不是一件说干就能干得成的事儿。此前，义乌发往马德里的货物大多是通过海运。为了让欧洲的客户尝试用“义新欧”班列运货，不懂英语和西班牙语的冯旭斌只身奔赴欧洲多个国家寻找客户，积极介绍和推销“义新欧”班列的优势。在冯旭斌的努力下，“义新欧”班列最终顺利开通。十年间，“义新欧”成为义乌全球买卖的“大功臣”。2023年的杭州亚运会上，冯旭斌被推选为火炬手。他回忆道，“在进行火炬传递时，我突然想到了‘义新欧列车传递的场景”，最初从义乌到马德里的列车开通时，沿途需要60多个火车司机来进行接替，“‘义新欧每一段火车头的接替与火炬每一棒的传递非常相像。以后，我也会用传递亚运火炬的精神去助力‘义新欧的高质量发展”。

The founder of the YXE freight train， Feng Xubin，a native of Yiwu， conceived the idea in 2013 uponhearing the news about the Belt and Road Initiative.Despite skepticism on the feasibility of such an endeavor， Feng Xubin persevered. Negotiating thecomplexities of international logistics is not an easytask， as it necessitates coordination across multipledepartments and countries. Previously reliant onmaritime transport， the journey from Yiwu toMadrid seemed dauntingly ambitious. Undeterred，Feng Xubin embarked on a solitary mission acrossEurope， despite his lack of proficiency in Englishor Spanish， to garner support for the initiative. Hisefforts eventually bore fruit， culminating in thesuccessful launch of the freight service. Over theensuing decade， the YXE freight train has emergedas a linchpin in Yiwus global trade landscape. In2023， Feng Xubin was selected as a torchbearerfor the Hangzhou Asian Games. Reflecting onthe parallels between the torch relay and the YXEfreight train， he said， “Each leg of the Yiwu-Xinjiang-Europe journey mirrors the passingof the torch in the relay race. I will remaincommitted to the high-quality development of thetrain service， drawing upon the indomitable spiritof the Asian Games torch relay.”

在义乌做生意很顺利

Conducting Business in Yiwu Is Straightforward

来自吉尔吉斯斯坦的外商米卡（OmuralievaMeerzat）已经在义乌经商三年了。2017年，米卡还在学校就读时，刚好遇到义乌“涉外纠纷人民调解委员会”招募翻译，她在老师的鼓励下报了名。在参与了一次又一次的调解后，米卡发现，原来在中国，有矛盾不一定非要打官司，还可以通过调解的方式来解决，这让她深切感受到中国文化中“和为贵”的魅力。

Omuralieva Meerzat， from Kyrgyzstan， hasbeen doing business in Yiwu for three years. Backin 2017， while still studying as a college student inYiwu， Meerzat stumbled upon a job ad from the localPeoples Mediation Committee for Foreign-RelatedDisputes looking for interpreters. Encouragedby her teacher， she promptly applied for the job.Through repeated practice， Meerzat came to realizethat in China， business disputes need not alwaysbe settled through litigation; mediation provides aviable alternative. This realization fostered in hera profound appreciation for the Chinese ethos ofvaluing “harmony.”

毕业后，米卡就开了自己的外贸公司，虽然规模不大，但生意不错。她把中国文化中“和气生财”的理念运用到经商之中。米卡说：“自己似乎都不用主动找客户，都是客户找上门，朋友之间介绍，客户之间推荐，在义乌做生意，一切都水到渠成。”当了老板后，米卡每天行走在市场和工厂之间。刚开始，她公司里的产品都是通过海运、空运送出去的，但这两年，通过“义新欧”班列运出去的产品越来越多。她说：“中欧班列的稳定性强、性价比也高，原来中亚五国陆路交通很贵，有了这个班列之后，运费低、时间快、效率高，可以很方便地把东西运出去，又把东西买回来。义乌让我实现了自己的梦想，遇见了更好的自己。”

Following her graduation， Meerzat set up herown trade company. Despite its modest scale， herbusiness flourished. She integrated the Chinesecultural principle of “harmony leads to prosperity”into her business. Reflecting on her experience，Meerzat remarked， “It feels as though clients seek meout without any active effort on my part. Throughreferrals from acquaintances and recommendationsfrom satisfied customers， everything falls intoplace.” As an entrepreneur， Meerzat spends her days navigating between markets and factories. Initially， her company relied on sea andair freight for transportation， but in recent years， the utilization of the YXE freighttrain has surged. Explaining the shift， she noted， “The China-Europe freight train isnot only reliable but also cost-effective. Previously， overland transportation acrossCentral Asia were very expensive， but with this freight train， shipping costs are lower，and the delivery is faster and efficient. It is now so easy to move shipments around.Yiwu has helped me realize my dream and become more accomplished.”

作为在义乌的优秀国际青年代表，米卡参加了2023年亚洲青年领袖论坛；她还出席了2023 世界义乌人大会，并作为唯一的国外采购商代表在会上发言。

Recognized as an exceptional international youth representative in Yiwu，Meerzat attended the 2023 Asia Youth Leaders Forum. She was also invited tospeak at the 2023 World Yiwunese Conference as the sole international buyerrepresentative.

小商品，大世界。未来的义乌，更加国际化的义乌，值得世人期待。

In the realm of commerce， even the smallest commodities have the potentialto transcend boundaries. The prospect of a more globally connected Yiwu inspiresanticipation worldwide.