Yiwu is a nondescript county-level city in Zhejiang province, but it is from here that merchants from about 220 countries buy their daily necessities.
Yiwu is among the nearly 1,500 counties on the Chinese mainland, and given that the city feeds much of global demand for items of daily use, it may be one of the busiest counties in the world.
Christmas is more than three month away but Yiwu is already dressed up for it.
A visit to an oasis turns into a culinary treat of authentic Uygur flavors in the late hours.
Makers of traditional Uygur silk have no intention of allowing their ancient craft to die in the desert.
Uygur silks and culinary delights of yore continue to beguile visitors to modern Xinjiang.
Bao Yin stares into his computer screen, carefully adjusting the colors of a photo.
Maker of traditional Mongolian saddles strives to keep craft alive When cowboys from the West prepare to get into the traditional Mongolian saddle for the first time, they may think they are in for a very painful ride.
On a sweltering August afternoon, two horses gallop across an outdoor arena at breakneck speed. Riding each of the horses is a young woman decked from head to toe in traditional Mongolian costume. Suddenly, as the pair clasp their arms and hands around the horses' necks, they throw the rest of their bodies to the left of the horse and are soon hanging on at their steeds' side as the horses continue their hell-for-leather run.
The enduring traits of the Mongolian horse, which helped form one of the largest empires in history, continue to amaze herdsmen and equestrian enthusiasts alike.
Fan Zhihong, a nutritionist and a member of the board of directors of the Chinese Nutrition Society, and an associate professor of nutrition and food safety at the China Agricultural University in Beijing, says:
The world is awash with diet plans, many with exotic names and all offering advice on how to keep trim, fit and healthy.