Yiwu is known as an epicenter of commodity retail. But a growing number of visitors are discovering that the countryside surrounding the city offers other allures, Xu Lin reports.

A river flows along Fotang town in Yiwu, which gained new fame in 2017, after scenes from the Chinese reality show Keep Running were filmed there. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Visitors to the hinterlands surrounding the world's largest small commodity wholesale hub in Zhejiang province will discover there's much more to the city than just a shopping paradise.

Yiwu city's government has continued to develop tourism in the countryside as part of its rural-revitalization strategy and has consequently designed 10 themed itineraries. It has encouraged its eight State-owned enterprises to invest capital and human resources in such relevant areas as infrastructure construction.

Yiwu received over 10 million tourist arrivals in the first half of the year, a more than 16 percent increase over the same period of 2018. Inbound travelers accounted for over 300,000 of those visits. The top five source countries were South Korea, India, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia, according to local authorities.

Total tourism revenue reached 12.77 billion yuan (US$1.81 billion).

Fotang town is an increasingly popular destination in Yiwu's countryside. The 1,500-year-old settlement features traditional buildings adorned with stone and wood carvings, and is celebrated for its merchant culture and sweet snacks.

The ancient town gained new fame in 2017, after scenes from the popular reality show, Keep Running, starring Chinese celebrities Lu Han and Dilraba Dilmurat, were filmed there.

The town's Wanshan Floating Bridge was originally built with donations collected during Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) emperor Qianlong's reign, when Fotang was a prosperous trade hub with a busy port.

The 1,500-year-old Fotang town in Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale hub for small commodities in Zhejiang province, also attracts tourists for its traditional architecture, merchant culture and sweet snacks. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Over two-dozen wooden boats are connected by iron chains and covered with planks. Locals rebuilt the bridge in 2017.

The town's main street is lined up with shops, restaurants and snack bars.

An exhibition hall showcasing local intangible cultural heritage displays cultural artifacts related to local customs and culture, including abacuses used by merchants in the old days.

It also houses antique wooden beds carved with auspicious patterns and gilded with gold or glaze. Such beds were dowry requisites in ancient China.

Yiwu is known for its brown sugar, the processing of which dates back four centuries. It was listed as a form of national intangible cultural heritage in 2014.

Fotang's brown sugar culture center features bronze figurines that vividly demonstrate the complicated process of making it using sugar cane. Chinese traditionally believe brown sugar is good for health, especially for women.

Fotang town's Xiaoliushi village has been transformed into a theme park.

The village committee called upon residents to provide funding and become shareholders in the venture in January 2017. They invested 4 million yuan to build a 200-meter-long glass bridge between two hills.

Xiaoliushi also has a zip line, rock-climbing facilities for children and colorful 3D murals. It recently announced that it will build a 350 million yuan amusement park in Shangshan village in Zhejiang's capital, Hangzhou.

Fotang is also partnering with nearby Xiaoshun town to offer red-tourism day tours.

The 1,500-year-old Fotang town in Yiwu, the world's largest wholesale hub for small commodities in Zhejiang province, also attracts tourists for its traditional architecture, merchant culture and sweet snacks. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

In 1930, Communist Party of China leaders from 13 counties in western Zhejiang held a secret meeting at Maimotan in Xiaoshun, before they launched an armed revolt against the Kuomintang government. Many became martyrs.

Today, Maimotan is a bird habitat and hosts an exhibition hall devoted to the historic meeting and rural sceneries.

Fenshuitang village is another red-tourism destination in Yiwu.

Travelers visit to see scholar Chen Wangdao's (1891-1977) former residence, where he completed the first Chinese translation of The Communist Manifesto based on its Japanese and English versions. Chen's edition was published in 1920, one year before the CPC's founding.

Around Spring Festival in 1920, Chen returned to Fenshuitang and lived in a woodshed, translating by the light of an oil lamp.

In 1952, he became president of Shanghai's Fudan University.

Travelers can visit the restored woodshed, where a wax figure of Chen sits in front of a simple desk. The statue appears pensive, and holds a Chinese writing brush in one hand and a zongzi (a pyramidal glutinous-rice dumpling) in the other.

It's meant to portray a moment when Chen was concentrating so hard on translating that he dipped the dumpling in black ink rather than brown sugar. He didn't realize this until his mother discovered his lips were dark, the story goes.

Indeed, travelers in Yiwu will discover that, in addition to the commodities sold downtown, its countryside also offers travel products that feature nature, history and culture, and make visiting all the more valuable.

Contact the writer at xulin@chinadaily.com.cn