At the Yiwu Fair—and within the International Trade City—one is greeted by an overwhelming array of products featuring South American motifs: tote bags emblazoned with “I Love Rio,” coin purses sporting the Chilean flag, and dolls adorned with slogans in Spanish. Following the 2008 financial crisis, which led to a weakening of demand in European and American markets, South America emerged as a key destination for Yiwu’s exports. Today, “Made in Yiwu” products are flourishing across the South American market.
Inside the showroom of Xingpai Home Lighting—a member of the International Brand Alliance—a reporter encountered a buyer from Chile. “This client visits me five or six times a year, placing orders for 40 to 50 shipping containers annually; this current visit is to restock,” explained Liu Jianguang, General Manager of Zhejiang Xingpai Co., Ltd.
Like Liu, Fan Zhixiang—a merchant at the International Trade City—noted that his handicrafts are primarily exported to Europe, the United States, and various South American nations. “I have a number of South American clients, including one from Ecuador with whom I’ve worked for four years; he supplies several well-known general merchandise stores in his home country,” Fan said. Beyond handicrafts, this client also sources daily necessities—such as household goods and small appliances—from other shops in the market. “According to him, Yiwu’s small commodities sell very well locally.”
Naturally, when discussing the South American market, Brazil cannot be overlooked. With a relatively weak light-industrial base, Brazil relies heavily on imports for a wide variety of small consumer goods. In São Paulo, the “25th of March Street” (Rua 25 de Março) is a household name—it is essentially a replica of the Yiwu market. Huang Yunlong, head of Yiwu Aipute Lighting & Electrical Appliances Co., Ltd.—which entered the Brazilian market in 2013—noted that most of the goods in Brazil are sourced from Yiwu or Guangzhou. In fact, Yiwu-made products are ubiquitous in Brazil, and many Brazilians are well aware that there is a place in China called Yiwu.
To better develop the Brazilian market, Huang has established an import-export company in Brazil. His goal is to deliver products to his South American clients more efficiently, while simultaneously encouraging more Brazilian buyers to visit Yiwu. Currently, Huang Yunlong has not only established a base in Brazil but has also set up branch offices in countries such as Ecuador and Colombia. “Last year, the South American market accounted for about 30% of our total sales, reaching over 20 million RMB,” Huang says.
South American Elements Increasingly Appear in Yiwu
As “Made in Yiwu” products make their way into South American markets, South American elements are also appearing with increasing frequency in Yiwu.
Last year, Cheng Jianxin—president of the Chile-China Yiwu Chamber of Commerce, who has been doing business in Chile for over a decade—brought high-quality Chilean produce, including apples, red grapes, kiwis, and cherries, to Yiwu. “These fruits are picked at local farms, then immediately refrigerated, packed, and shipped to China. I want more people in Yiwu to be able to enjoy fresher Chilean fruit,” Cheng explains. Furthermore, he plans to bring local aquatic products to Yiwu. “Chile has the longest coastline in South America and is incredibly rich in marine resources; I hope to share these high-quality seafood products with the people of Yiwu.”
“Chile was the first Latin American country to sign a bilateral free trade agreement with China. Thanks to the trade benefits between our two nations, my business in Yiwu has thrived for years,” says Rafael Silva Launa, a Chilean merchant who has been engaged in foreign trade in Yiwu for 16 years. According to him, approximately 60% of the daily consumer goods in Chile currently come from China. In recent years, Rafael has successfully introduced Chilean wine to Yiwu, and he remains confident that import trade will only become smoother in the future.
With high-energy Latin music playing, vibrant folk decorations adorning the walls, and merchants at nearby tables chatting and laughing in Spanish—there is a Western-style restaurant in the International Trade City that serves as a hub for South American merchants in Yiwu. The owner, Hugo, hails from Colombia.
In the autumn of 2012, Hugo first heard about Yiwu through friends in South America. During this period, Yiwu was actively expanding into the South American market. An increasing number of South American merchants arrived in China to “seek their fortunes,” coming to regard Yiwu as a second home. Individuals like Hugo—who were not originally traders by profession—found both the opportunity and the confidence to become business owners in Yiwu. Having grown accustomed to life in the city, Hugo now plans to open an additional branch to better serve his fellow South Americans.
Geographically, South America is divided into several regions: the northern countries, including Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, and Colombia; the central Andean nations, comprising Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia; and the southern countries, such as Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Brazil, located in the east, accounts for approximately half of the continent’s total land area.
South America is endowed with diverse environmental resources; however, most of its nations are developing countries with limited industrial development. Their exports consist primarily of primary commodities—such as low-cost agricultural, livestock, and mineral raw materials. There is a significant disparity in economic development and strength among these nations. Brazil and Argentina are the most economically advanced; together with Venezuela, Colombia, Chile, and Peru, these six countries account for over 90% of the continent’s total GDP. In each of these nations, modern economic activity is highly concentrated in a few major cities or coastal regions, while mountainous and remote areas remain economically underdeveloped.
Following the 2008 U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, markets in Europe and the United States began to weaken. Keen-eyed Yiwu merchants shifted their focus, studying the customs, etiquette, and preferences of Latin American populations to actively tap into these broader markets. Small commodities from Yiwu—particularly Christmas-related goods—have become highly popular in the region. According to Yiwu Customs, the city’s exports of Christmas products reached 1.41 billion yuan between January and November 2017, with Chile and Brazil standing out as key export destinations.
