Saturday, March 3, 2012
Guangzhou africans African Trade China and AsiaStealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy African
Development Challenges, South-South Solutions: July 2010 Issue
Stealth of Nations: The Global Rise of the Informal Economy African
Africans in Guangzhou (1): Yuexiu Market--the Dynamic "Chocolate City"
At the end of the 90s in the 20th century, the first batch of Africans came to Guangzhou, their first stop being Canaan clothing market [Clothes Trading Center]. Now, however, with Canaan clothing market as the center, many goods for export markets have sprung up in the surrounding one kilometer area. The people of Guangzhou have gradually come to call this area “Chocolate City”.
China has been the biggest trade partner of Africa and the trade volume exceeded $110 billion in 2010[i]. Besides the purchase of oil and minerals done by Chinese government, a lot of Chinese goods also flew into local markets in Africa. We often see western media blaming on the negative economic impact of these low quality Chinese goods on the local markets in Africa.
When Nelson, a Nigerian, arrived in Guangzhou, he lived a typical “luggage bag” life—-carrying several tens of thousand of yuan here to purchase goods and then afterward stuffing them all in a few large luggage bags to fly back with him to Africa. “If I’m lucky, I can get on the plane without it being overweight and having to ship it.” Nelson says that the money for the his airplane ticket and for the goods to be purchased was pooled together by his entire family, that he must earn money, otherwise he will be looked down upon when he returns to Africa. Photo is of Nelson at a motorcycle parts store selecting goods.
Many Chinese shop owners say they don’t like to do business with Africans because they drive such a hard bargain and pay less than other foreigners or Chinese clients. Favour decides not to buy after she cannot get the price she wants at a shop in Guang Da, one of the largest wholesale markets in Guangzhou.
San Yuan Li marketplace
But pay attention to the assumption of this argument: because the goods are made in China, the goods must be brought to Africa by Chinese merchants or Chinese government.
Is this assumption true?
Africans in Guangzhou (1): Yuexiu Market--the Dynamic "Chocolate City"
By JINGHAO LU on July 9, 2011 11:03 PM| 0 Comments| 0 TrackBacks
China has been the biggest trade partner of Africa and the trade volume exceeded $110 billion in 2010[i]. Besides the purchase of oil and minerals done by Chinese government, a lot of Chinese goods also flew into local markets in Africa. We often see western media blaming on the negative economic impact of these low quality Chinese goods on the local markets in Africa.
But pay attention to the assumption of this argument: because the goods are made in China, the goods must be brought to Africa by Chinese merchants or Chinese government.
Is this assumption true?
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Guangzhou's African Community
One of the biggest cities in China, Guangzhou locates at the southern coast of China, near Hong Kong and Macau. People here are crazy about eating. They like to go for "morning tea", which looks like a brunch. Everyone orders a pot of tea and countless delicious steamed food. Old people usually sit here for a whole morning, chatting with each other while refilling their teapot endlessly.
Not known by many outsiders, also in this city, more than 100,000 Africans work and live here[ii]. Many are undocumented immigrants. Most of them come and purchase Chinese goods in large quantity from the manufacturers all over China, and ultimately ship the goods back to their motherland. Within a whole week, I spent my days and nights with these Africans, trying to figure out what is happening since the wind of globalization blew into this part of China.
Guangzhou people gave the African community a distinctive name--"Chocolate City", directly referring to the skin color of these residents. This community is around the Xiaobei Station area, an extremely crowded trade center of many Chinese commodities--wigs, electronic products, apparels, shoes and many others. More than a dozen of specialized market buildings are here. Each is several stories tall and as wide as a U.S. high school building. Africans can be found everywhere, walking on the street, trading with others inside the buildings or chatting in Chinese and Middle-East restaurants.
This is my first impression of the Chocolate City.
Inside a Market Building
Every specialized market building looks messy. In an apparel market, the ground was covered with trash and wrapping tapes. Loud music was played--sometimes African highlife music, sometimes African American raps, and sometimes Chinese love songs. Shops and shops are so close to each other, making it hard to walk through the corridor. Jeans, shirts, suits, ties, bags, shoes, perfumes and flags were hung on the wall outside of each shop. Buyers come from all over the world, mainly from Africa, Middle East and other regions in China. There were, however, not many buyers in the market today. Shop owners were chatting to each other, no matter what nation the other comes from.
Nigerian shop owners on the ground floor
Most of the Africans here were nice to me. They grabbed my hand and asked me to sit. They praised that I appeared to be nicer than many Chinese they encountered. To them, a lot of Chinese merchants were wicked and wanted to cheat them. They also complained to me that business was uneasy. The immigration regulation was tough, dollar is getting weak, and sometimes police will disturb them. Also, all the African shop owners do not really own their shops because foreigners are not allowed to do so. They actually rented the shops from Chinese.
What is more, not every African is approachable. Some looked at me cautiously. I know many Africans in Guangzhou are illegal immigrants (I will explain this point in my later entries). They probably thought I was a Chinese police because Guangzhou police often raided the market without their uniform in order to make their inspection effective.
African kid, Chinese kid, Chinese business owner, Chinese safeguard
Besides Africans, I also talked to more than ten Chinese shop owners. All of them said they like Africans. Increasing number of African merchants means more business opportunities. Plus, many of these Chinese business people are not from Guangzhou, but instead from central Chinese provinces like Sichuan, Hunan and Hubei. They are immigrants themselves, and thus they are more sympathetic to the foreign immigrants.
In this market I found Chinese shop owners made friends with many Africans within the region. A couple of them told me they had visited or planned to go to Africa as a result of the invitation from their African clients. More than that, I met at least five cases of interracial marriage, with one from China and the other from Africa. Usually the husband comes from Africa and the wife comes from a city other than Guangzhou. But there were exceptions. I also saw mix-blood babies walking around and playing with their African "uncles".
A mix-blood child with her Chinese mom in the market
In all, Chinese-African Relationship within the Market looks good. I ended my day by eating African food at an African restaurant on the first floor of this apparel market. The owner is from Africa, and most of the customers are also Africans.
Muslims join together for annual festival
GUANGZHOU -- Festivity was in the air as more than 10,000 Chinese and foreign Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha or the Qurban Festival at four mosques in Guangzhou Tuesday.
The Huaisheng Mosque and the Abu Waggas Tomb had to hold prayers twice on Tuesday in order to accommodate the number of worshippers.
Among them were many African Muslims celebrating the festival with their brothers and sisters from China and other parts of the world.
"This is my third Eid al-Adha in China. The festival here is just like that in my country, though I was only able to understand a small part of the imam's exhortations in Chinese," Sissoko Adama, a businessman from Mali, said.
Sissoko said he came to Guangzhou because of the good environment for international trade. Like many other Africans in the city, he exports clothes, shoes and other commodities to Africa.
"Though we are going through a financial crisis, I thank God my business is still doing well," he said.
Guinean Conde Bangaly, 39, also has a company in Guangzhou. A devoted Muslim, he prays at the city's mosques almost every day, and Tuesday offered a sacrifice to celebrate Eid al-Adha, which means Festival of Sacrifice.
"I killed a sheep as a sacrifice to Allah. I do it every year, whether in Africa or China," Conde said. He has been living in Guangzhou for the past five years.
Since 2000, there has been a surge in the Muslim population in Guangzhou, most are engaged in trade or in the halal food business.
The Guangzhou Islamic Association estimates the number of Muslims living in Guangzhou to be between 50,000 and 60,000, though the actual number may be higher. About half of the Muslim population comprises foreigners, with Africans being the largest group.
The Xiaodongying Mosque, near Huanshi Middle Road where the offices and apartments of most Africans are located, has become a mosque dominated by them.
Bai Lin, an imam at the mosque, said Africans account for about 70 percent of the worshippers.
As the mosque is small, many have to pray on the sidewalks outside, he said.
"The African Muslims in Guangzhou usually come from western African countries such as Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Niger. Most of them are very devout and humble," Bai said.
Although language and religious differences make it difficult for most African Muslims to integrate into Chinese society, some of them are succeeding.
Conde for example, has married a Chinese woman Wei Qiuhua, and is planning to buy an apartment in Guangzhou.
The couple met two years ago in Guangzhou. Wei said at first her parents were against their marriage, but they later relented.
"I have converted to Islam because I love Conde," the 24-year-old said.
She has taken the Muslim name of Jamila.
The wedding will be held today in Wei's hometown of Shanwei in southeast Guangdong.
"Many of my relatives want to toast our marriage with a sip of wine, but I have told them it will be a wedding banquet without alcohol because we are Muslims," Wei said.
They will hold another wedding ceremony in Guangzhou, where Conde will invite his African and Chinese friends. They are also planning to hold a ceremony in Guinea when they visit his parents next year.
"I don't know whether we will live in China for the rest of our lives. Everything is decided by God," Conde said.
->buy clothes and computer parts
->Canaan market
The Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences has estimated that there are around 30,000 legal migrants from Africa in the city. Its senior researcher Dr Peng Peng said the number of Africans arriving grew by around 30% to 40% annually between 2003 and 2008, but now appeared to have peaked. Local media have suggested there could be 100,000 African residents in total.
The Red Guest House of Yiwu
chinadaily.com.cn
The red vinyl banner hanging from the front of Canaan market, a multi-storey wholesale emporium of cheap jeans and hair extensions, begins promisingly "Welcome to Guangzhou" and concludes, less warmly, "Please have your passport ready for checks by police".
This southern city in China's Guangdong province has drawn hundreds of thousands of immigrants from across Africa in the last decade: from Burkina Faso and Somalia, Ivory Coast and Ghana, Tanzania and Angola. The banner and the dwindling numbers of traders here attest to an immigration crackdown that has alienated many and left young men injured and languishing in detention, community leaders say.
Between 30,000 and 100,000 Africans, mainly young men, are living here. Most are traders lured by the cheapness and variety of goods made in the surrounding Pearl River Delta. In complexes such as Canaan, they purchase nappies, tractor parts, luxuriantly floral shirts, stock cubes, mobile phones, air conditioners, and pirate DVDs. In the Chinese-run cafes around the buildings they eat plantains and fufu as well as rice.
Scant funds, don’t care about brands, loves to bargain, likes low-end products are characteristics of the large groups of African businessmen. Over time, these characteristics have led to Chinese businessmen to discriminate and become impatient with them. “[They're] the most practical in doing business the most practical, whereas you can see those European and Americans and Arabs are just different,” a Chinese seller said. Nevertheless, the trade market’s business is very flourishing every day, and the African demand for cheap goods have allowed the processing factories around the outskirts of Guangzhou to prosper. Photo is of a Chinese seller wiping the nose of an African buyer’s infant; using “friendliness” to get business.
In Xiaobei, not far from the trading market, is Guangzhou’s largest African neighborhood. Many Africans coming to China for the first time will stay here, living with several or even over a dozen people in a room, beginning their “gold rush” here. Why have they collectively chosen Xiaobei? One long-term researcher of Africans in Guangzhou says: “This place has Guangzhou’s first proper Muslim restaurant.” And in Africa, those who believe in Islam are the majority. Photo is of an African youth eating at a food stall.
The expansion of the African’s export business has also spawned African restaurants, African logistics, African intermediaries and other supporting businesses. African businessmen have also brought African laborers and African service staff. Photo is of locals who are no longer unused to seeing Africans.
Muslims Yiwu
Yiwu Mosque
Guangdong and Fujian provinces
Fujian, located across the China Straits from Taiwan, is the ancestral home of many Taiwanese. Guangdong Province is adjacent to
Hong Kong and the ancestral home of many Hong Kongese. Both Guangdong and Fujian
provinces were some of the first areas opened to foreign investment in China and were some
of the first locations for sino-foreign joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned enterprises
engaged in the manufacture of famous international brands of consumer products.
Hong Kong-LoWu border-Shenzhen
http://homepage.fudan.edu.cn/dzcheng/files/2011/09/8.5-Organized-crime-local-protectionism-and-the-trade.pdf
Five major wholesale markets in China:
Hanzhen Jie in Wuhan City, Hubei Province;
Linyi Market in Linyi, Shandong Province;
Nansantiao Market in Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province;
China Small Commodities City in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province;
Beijing,hundreds of small retail vendors swarm the Tianyi wholesale market
And Wuai Market in Shenyang,Liaoning Province.
Together, these markets serve the entire coastal region of China and its
most populous urban areas including Guangzhou in the south, to Shanghai in the east, and
Beijing and Tianjin in the northeast. A branch of the China Small Commodities City
market of Yiwu located in Wulumuqui in Xinjiang Province serves as an export post for the Middle East and Eastern Europe. These markets (represented by circles) and their
relationship to the manufacturing centers (shaded areas) are set forth in the map below.
In 1982, the Yiwu AIC established the Zhejiang China Small Commodities City Group,
(Shang Cheng Ji Tuan in Chinese, and hereinafter SCJT), a wholesale market specializing
in trading small commodities.
China Small Commodities Market (CSCM) Management Company One SCJT subsidiary, the CSCM Management Company, actually engages in the trading of counterfeit goods and serves a major role in distribution of these products to the SCJT’s branch markets.
Based upon the author’s own experience, at least 90% of the products sold in the China Small Commodities market are either counterfeit or infringing products.
In some cities, such as Yiwu discussed below, the entire local economy is connected to the trade in counterfeits.
Role of Yiwu in distribution. Yiwu serves a central distribution center for
counterfeit goods to markets around the country. At the center of town, two large
transportation companies occupy two open-area transport areas, both the size of football
fields. Around the perimeter of these areas are representative local transport offices from
cities and towns all over China. Operating continuously day and night, trucks and lorries
unload counterfeit products made in southern China in factories financed by criminal
organizations in Hong Kong and Taiwan in one open transport area for storage and sale in
Yiwu’s wholesale markets. In the other open transport area, other trucks and lorries load
counterfeit products already bought from these wholesale markets in for delivery to all
parts of China.
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http://www.tradekey.com/product_view/id/84992.htm
Introduction of Yiwu Market --China Commodity City
The Yiwu market is the largest consumer goods market in Asia area. Now most overseas Chinese businessman and more than 3000 foreign traders purchase goods every day from Yiwu market and sell ( transport ) to Mid-East, Europe, Africa, North America, and South America. And many traders from Korea, Taiwan, Hongkong, Malaysia and Singapore do business at Yiwu market.
Why do they choose Yiwu market? Because Yiwu market has the largest variety of products found anywhere in the wholesale market place, the cheaper price comparing to other market, convenient transportation and many other advantages. They can purchase two or more ctns per item.
Yiwu market is divided into many different markets, including:
1. Art & crafts market---- glass gifts, wooden gifts, crystal goods, bead & stone goods, Christmas gifts, and all kinds of handmade goods etc.
2. Stationeries Market ----pencil, fountain pen, ball pen, pencil box files and all kinds of office supply.
3. Accessories Market---- handmade ring, earring, necklace, hair pin, wig, and all kinds of imitation jewelry etc.
4. Clocks & watchs Market---- all kinds of electric/machine clocks& watchs
5. Sports Goods Market-all kinds of sports and leisure goods( football, volleyball, badminton, stpper, bicycle, running machine, etc? . )
6. Textile Market --- clothes, cloth material, towel, and tie etc
7. Socks Market--- all kinds of socks( 100% cotton, nylon materials)
8. Tool Market---- screw driver, forceps, electronic tools, hand tools, garden tools, and all kinds of tool set
9. Toys Market---- all kinds of toys (woolen toys, wooden toys, plastic toys, electronic toys etc. )
10. Electric Products Market----all kind of radio recorder, vcd/cd/mp3 player, earphone, microphone iron etc.
There also are Glasses Market, Umbrella Market, Kitchenware Market, Artifical Flower Market, Lace & Ribbon Market etc.
Yiwu is very close to Shanghai, the largest city of china. It takes 4 hours by train or car, and only 30 minutes by air to Shanghai city. Generally, we ship our goods from Shanghai and Ningbo international port which have transportation lines to all the major ports of the world.
Now we are setting up the partner and customer database. We welcome more honest and powerful partners to do business with us. If you are interested in Yiwu market, please feel free to contact us, we will do our best to make your shopping in Yiwu market the most enjoyable, reliable, and hassle free experience.
The goods from China Commodity City spread to 160 countries and regions, are salable in Southeast Asia, Middle East, Occident etc, yearly export volume has strongly reached 50% of total trading amount, in which, the export volume of predominant industry goods such as craftwork, ornament, small hardware, glasses, etc is 70% above, in the markets, above 60% merchants have supplying business of foreign trade, so now permanent foreign merchants in Yiwu are more than 5000, foreign commercial institutions are over 200.
In May 2002, Shi Guangsheng, former minister of State Foreign Economic & Trade Ministry, drove the quill to write down pigraph of "face to the world, serve the whole country".
wholesale marketYiwu Markets is the biggest commodity woholesale markets in the world,it is … train from shanghai to yiwu,You can find anything in Yiwu Wholesale Markets.
Yiwu is the largest commodity city in the planet,famous for commodity city and huge products range in the market.The whole yiwu city like a supper market, the booth not only inside markets,but also spread out the streets.
There are total 320,000 kinds of commodities in over 1,502 categories of 34 industries spreat out in 4 main markets, and ship to over 200 countries and regions.
The boothes is around 40,000 in these 4 main markets, don't including the boothes spread out some street in yiwu.
Currently Yiwu market consist of 4 main markets, Yiwu huanyuan market,Yiwu socks market (Knitting market),Yiwu binwang market,Yiwu international trade market(Yiwu futian market).
Yiwu Huanyuan market
Fashion scarf,Fashion belts,Daily use items,Footwear,Trimming,Lace,Caps,hats,Glove
Yiwu Socks market ( Knitting market )
Socks ,stocking,Toe socks,Leg warmers,Tights,it is all about hosiery products.
http://behindthewall.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/01/05/5770170-need-fridge-magnets-in-bulk-no-prob
Yiwu Binwang market
Necktie,Men's Dress shirt,Towels,trimming and lace (food stuff,garments in this market is most for domestic sale)
Yiwu International trade city market ( Yiwu Futian market )
This market consist of 4 main buildings,the 4th building will be completed in Oct.,2008. all the above boothes in Huanyuan market and Socks market will move to this market after October,2008.
1st building ( consisit of District A,B,C,D,E with 4 floors ) Artificial flower,Toys,Fashion jewelry,Hair accessories,Jewelry fittings,Arts and crafts,Photo frame,Crystal items,Holiday items.
2nd building ( consisit of District E,F with 4 floors ) Ladies bags,Wallets,Hardware,Kitchenware,Locks,Scooters,Bikes,ATV,Watches,Clocks,Mobile acessories,Home appliance.
3st building ( district H ) Cosmetic,Stationery,Sports items,Fitness equipments,Garments accessories,Zipper,buttoms,gifts packing materials.
4th building is under construction, will be completed in Oct.,2008.
As we said before, also there are a lot of shops along the street, there are some stree famous for one products and become a street market, we call it "professional street", here is some famous professional street in Yiwu:
Scarf professional street, it is all about scarf,shawl, it is outside of Huanyuan market, along Huangshan street,Wutai street.
Belts professonal stree, it is all about belts,men's belts,woment's belts, it is outside of Huanyuan market, along Chouzhou middle Road.
Picture frame,photo frame professional street, it is near International trade market
China Railway High Speed train ( CRH)
Now there is two shifts per day CRH to Shanghai and Hangzhou, it only take 40 mins to Hangzhou,
2hrs to Shanghai.
Yiwu to Shanghai:
Train #: D686 10:00 AM 12:13 PM
Train #: D92 11:50 AM 13:08 PM
Shanghai to Yiwu:
Train #: D685 07:25 AM 9:40 AM
Train #: D665 13:12 PM 15:25 PM
http://www.yiwumarketagent.com/2011/08/yiwu-wholesale-market/
Yiwu Huangyuan market including
1.Socks & Stocking market,about 3000 booths
2.Underwear market,about 200 booths
3.Scarfs & Gloves market,about 1500 booths
4.2 Daily-use markets,about 2000 booths
5.Shoe market,about 500 booths
II Yiwu Binwang market including
1.Garments market,about 1000 booths
2.Towel market,about 200 booths
3.Necktie market,about 200 booths
4.Bedding market,about 300 booths
5. food and beverage, about 300 booths
III Futian market first phase including
1.Arts and Crafts market about 2000 booths
2.Artifical flowers & garden decoration market,about 1000 booths
3.Toy market,about 6000 booths
4.Imitation jewelry & hair ornament market,about 7000 booths
5.Christams items market ,about 500 booths
6.Gife market ,about 500 booths
7.Photo frame & picture frame market,about 500 shops
8.Jewelry accessory market about 200 boths
IV Futian market second? phase including
1.Glasses Market,about 200 booths
2.Stationery market,about 3000 booths
3.Bags & suitecase market,about 2000 booths
4.Cosmetic market,about 800 booths
5.Lighter & shaver market,about 300 booths
6.Hardware & handtool market,about 2000 booths
7.Electric & electronic,about 1000 booths
8.Kitchenware market,about 300 booths
9.Clock & watch market,about 400 booths
10.Raincoat & umbrella market,about 400 booths
11.Sports and Entertainments market ,about 400 booths
V Special business steets including
1.Zipper steet,about 300 booths
3.Auto accessory street,about 300 booths
4.imitation jewellery street,about 400 booths
5.Arts and Crafts street ,about 300 booths
6.lighter street, about 300 booths
7.Plastic items street ,about 100 booths
8.Picture and Photo frame steets ,about 200 booths
Now we have complete the seeing of all the market in short time because in? Yiwu there is very Convenient traffic,so one market and the next one by taxi only 10 or 15 min is enough.
http://www.anxin-yiwu.com/market/index.asp
http://www.anxin-yiwu.com/product/product_view.en.asp?version=en&id=1403
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Yiwu City
Yiwu City in the middle of Zhejiang Province, Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, is. Jinqu the eastern edge of the basin, geographical coordinates of latitude 29 ° 18 ', longitude 120 ° 04'. The total area of 1105.46 square kilometers, of which urban area of 90 square kilometers (2010). Household population of 740,000, the resident population of 1.234 million, registered a population of 190.79 million (end of 2010).
Yiwu Municipality seven streets, six towns: crowded city streets, Beiyuan street, Choujiang street, Jiangdong Street, after the house street, west street, Niansanli streets; on the town, Yiting, the temple town, Chian town, the Soviet Union Town, Dachen. County government in crowded city streets Street 21.
Dominated by hills, South East, surrounded by mountains, the southern border of the Big Chill Yongkang sharp elevation of 925.6 meters, the city's highest peak, a large northern river tile Chen shook his head, elevation 41.9 m, as the city's lowest point. Qiantang River is a river, the longest river within the Yiwu River, there is a large and Chen Jiang Hong patrol the river and other rivers. There Yankou reservoirs. Subtropical monsoon climate, annual average temperature of 17 ℃, the average annual rainfall between 1100-1600 mm, annual average sunshine 2129.7 hours, frost-free period of 243 days.
Yiwu the biggest supermarket in the world for small commodities wins accolades when it comes to connectivity. It is well-connected with other important cities in the country. Astounding infrastructure enables very easy access from farthest of the places to Yiwu. World-class airport, frequent flights, railways and roadways- everything connects the shoppers paradise to the rest of the world. Moreover, premium hotels and restaurants with international standards are just impeccable. Many people also prefer to approach Yiwu trade agents who provide one-stop solution. They plan your entire itinerary and even provide translation and shipping services.
The city also strikes balance as it is beautifully developed as a green city. Regardless the tremendous commercialization, there are lush greens spread all over Yiwu. There are various tourist places as the city offers a glimpse into the past glory of China. Many tourists come to visit Yiwu City for its rich history and culture.
http://www.yiwuagentchina.com/
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Xiamen Yiwu Import & Export Co., Ltd (Footwear) is a leading supplier of varies footwear in Fujian province. Our company enjoys a high reputation for high quality products and considerate services. Our main products include eva clogs, slippers & flip flop, sandals,sport shoes,football shoes,canvas shoes,Shes Upper, Shoes Vamp,shoe accessories, shoes moulds, shoe making machines.
We are registered export company which authorized by our government, License no: 350211200002159.With a shoes manufacturing factory which covers about 3,000 square meters, we employ approximately 100 high quality talents and 300 specialized workers. Meanwhile we also carry out a strict quality management system in accordance with ISO9001 requirements. You can have a wide selection to choose from our Xiamen Showrooms including slippers, sandals, sports shoes, shoe materials. Our current annual capacity is 5 million pairs.
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Chungking Mansions Africans Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong guangzhou africans
Chungking Mansions is a building located at 36-44 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Chungking Mansions is a building located at 36-44 Nathan Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. The building is well known as nearly the cheapest accommodation in Hong Kong with a single bed of US $8 one night. Though the building is supposedly residential, it is made up of many independent low-budget hotels, shops, and other services. The strange atmosphere of this building is sometimes called by some "the scent of Kowloon's Walled City".
Chungking Mansions features a labyrinth of guesthouses, curry restaurants, African bistros, clothing shops, sari stores, and foreign exchange offices. It often acts as a large gathering place for some of the ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, particularly Indians, Middle Eastern people, Nepalese, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Nigerians, Europeans, Americans, Pakistanis, and many other peoples of the world.
The building was completed in 1961, at which time Chinese residents predominated. Now, after more than four decades of use, there are an estimated 4,000 people living in the Mansions.
is 17 stories tall and consists of 5 blocks, A, B, C, D, and E.
There are two elevators in each block, one of which serves even-numbered floors, the other one odd-numbered floors; there is often a queue for this lift.
The price of a flat in the Chungking Mansions ranged from HK$1,000,000 to HK$2,000,000 as of August 2006.
While the Chungking Mansions are nominally intended for residential use, there is a large variety of commercial establishments in the building.
Chungking Mansions contains the largest number of guesthouses in Hong Kong in one building, with 1980 rooms in total. The rent ranges from HK$60 to HK$380 per day (as of 2006). Since it offers some of the cheapest rates in town, it has become a legendary haunt for backpackers and budget travellers.
The age of the building, the diverse ownership, and management structure are the cause of the building's reputation for being a fire trap. The unsanitary conditions, security, ancient electrical wiring, block staircases contribute to the hazards.
On February 21, 1988, a fire broke out in the building. A Danish tourist who was trapped inside was killed. The fire in this building, as well as a blaze in a similar building provoked a review of rules and regulations concerning public safety.
CUHK anthropologist Prof. Gordon Mathews revealed that there are people from at least 120 different nationalities who have passed through Chungking Mansions in the past year.
With this lively mix of guest workers, mainlanders, local Chinese, tourists and backpackers, the Chungking neighbourhood is one of the most culturally diverse locations in Hong Kong. Chungking Mansions was elected as the "Best Example of Globalization in Action" by TIME Magazine in its annual feature The Best of Asia, although racial tensions are known to boil over occasionally.
It is also known to be a centre of drugs, and a refuge for petty criminals, scammers, and illegal immigrants. For example, in a Police swoop in June 1995, about 1,750 people were questioned, 45 men and seven women from various Asian and African countries were arrested on suspicion of offences including failing to produce proof of identity, overstaying, using forged travel documents, possessing equipment for forging documents, and possessing dangerous drugs. In "Operation Sahara" in 1996, 52 men and seven women from 14 countries were arrested for violating immigration regulations
NTDTV
Gordon Mathews Anthropologist who studied Changking Mansions
An estimated 20 percent of sub-Saharan African phones originate from Chugking Mansions, a dilapidated complex of thousand flats, guest houses and businesses located on some of Hong Kong's prime real estate.
Traders from all over the world come here to source cheap Chinese goods, but overwhelmingly the trade has been in mobile phones destined for Africa.
Mohamed Ali Diallo moved his phone dealership from the Chinese mainland three months ago.
[Mohamed Ali, Owner, Brothers Co. Ltd]:
"Chungking Mansions is very well known and is, I can say, the other end of the bridge linking Africa to China and most of the phones going to Africa, 20-30 percent came from this house."
As a free trade area one trader who asked not to be named said buying phones already in Hong Kong cuts out the hassle of Chinese customs.
"Sometimes you feel, why go through the stress of going over to the factories (on mainland China) yourself when you could have the middle man do that? So it's an easy way to for us to come over to Hong Kong and get these things easily from the locals."
Having studied Chungking for years, Professor Gordon Matthews says traders come here because Hong Kong provides a degree of protection.
[Gordon Matthews, Chinese University Professor]:
"Mobile phones, from what I hear, China is not to be trusted. Because you might get goods that don't work very well. Hong Kong tends to be trusted much more and many of the dealers, most of the dealers give some sort of guarantee. You can much clearer, in a certain way, be certain of what you're getting. So Chungking Mansions has emerged as this major centre for buying phones."
Granted a 15-day stay, dealers scour Chungking's 90 outlets for deals, making competition stiff.
Nevertheless, an estimated 10 million handsets left Chungking Mansions for Africa last year.
Phones are transported by air, or either sent by cargo - but like Oury from Guinea, most are carried home in luggage.
[Barry Mamadou Oury, Mobile Phone Dealer]:
"We can have 60kg to go for the airplane. Now we can take 60kg, for the phone, take small watch. 60kg for we go Africa."
But the economic downturn has hit the business hard, with fluctuating exchange rates and slowing remittances making mobile phones a luxury to many Africans.
African Traders in China and Substandard Goods
photo credit: Evan Osnos, The New Yorker
..
One of the primary complaints I hear on China-in-Africa is the issue of substandard Chinese goods in African markets. Clearly, Chinese traders are bringing in a lot of these goods. But an under reported factor is the role of African traders in the supply chain.
As many as 20,000 African traders and entrepreneurs live, visit, and work in a suburb of the city of Guangzhou (Canton) called by locals "Chocolate City". The suburb is divided into different neighborhoods -- Nigerian, Malian, Benin and so on. From time to time the local police crack down on traders who have overstayed their visas.
A report by Bill Schiller in The Star (Canada) on a crackdown last year caught my eye recently because it contained an illuminating reference to practices of some of the African traders and how substandard goods enter African markets. A Nigerian trader explains:
"My brother came here first to seize the opportunity. So I came, too. Everything is so much cheaper here," he said one recent afternoon.
He and other African buyers tour local factories regularly, he says, looking to buy "seconds" with minor imperfections.
A pair of blue jeans can be had for as little as 15 Chinese yuan, the equivalent of $2.45, he says. These he can sell right here at his stall for 28 yuan, or about $4.60. But back home they can fetch as much as 45 yuan or $7.35, maybe even more.
Other reporting elaborates on these practices. Here's an excerpt from the English translation of an article on Chocolate City that appeared in Southern Weekend (courtesy of Africafeed.com):
“Every day after noon, “Chocolate City” begins to turn lively. Tens of thousands of black people seem to erupt from the ground in groups of twos and threes. Carrying large black plastic bags or wearing backpacks, they look through the stalls along the street. The stalls are filled with “tail goods” (excess production that did not meet quality standards) from thousands of small factories throughout Guangdong: blue jeans, unbranded television sets, hand-assembled cell phones.”
For more visuals on Africans in China, click here for Evan Osnos's great slide show from the New Yorker.
Complaints about substandard Chinese goods in African markets abound. Here's one way these goods enter, and why. The price differentials also help explain why African manufacturers are having such trouble competing with Chinese firms. In a future post I'll link to a paper on ways in which consumers in one Tanzanian market are successfully dealing with these challenges.
Counterfeiting China: Effects of Intellectual Property Infringement and Indigenous ...
China: Effects of Intellectual Property Infringement and Indigenous ...
By Alexander Hammer (ed), Katherine Linton (ed)
Counterfeiting in the People's Republic of China
By Ulf Kramer
Africans in Guangzhou (1): Yuexiu Market-Chocolate City
Arab Traders of Yiwu City- China The New Silk Road
Arab Traders of Yiwu City China The New Silk Road
-> The New Silk Road : How a Rising Arab World is Turning . By Ben Simpfendorfer
-> 3 Million Visited Yiwu 2007
-> The Red Guest House of Yiwu
-> Italian Made Lonati Kniting Machines Used in Yiwu. 1400 socks firms in Yiwu
-> Mengna Hoisery Industary In Yiwu and Sole supplier of socks products for China Olympics (quality)
-> Commodity Distribution Center Yiwu
->City of Wenzhou 3 Hours North of Yiwu
->City of Shanghai up North of Yiwu
->Guangzhou South of Yiwu
Goodir Global Imports and Exports Inc
Goodir Global Imports and Exports Inc
Goodir Wholesalers of Electonics
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