Your everyday essentials from hairdryers to smartphones likely carry the Made in China tag. But where on the Chinese mainland are they built, and who makes them? A team of journalists set out to small county towns to uncover the stories behind four thriving industries that keep the global supply chain humming. What we found: despite their unique products, these towns share key traits that drive their success.
1. Honoring tradition while embracing the new
Liuyang, a small county town nestled in the foothills of the Nanling Mountains in central Hunan Province on the Chinese mainland, has been the birthplace of fireworks for roughly 1,400 years. Today, it accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s pyrotechnics, with an annual output exceeding 50 billion yuan (about $6.96 billion).
Here, skilled workers often women passing down expertise through generations manually pack gunpowder into handmade containers. Production lines snake through nearby mountains for safety, using the natural terrain to store explosive materials and minimize risks for individual workers. Yet the town’s pyrotechnic players aren’t stuck in the past.
One firm is pioneering colorful-smoke firecrackers for baby gender reveal parties. Another is crafting the largest-ever display shell in the Chinese mainland, set to burst almost half a mile wide. And a Gen Z startup founded by university friends is making inroads against timehonored brands, showing how tradition and innovation ignite the future of Made in China.
Next up: we’ll explore how other county hubs leverage digital tools, factory modernization, global partnerships and sustainability to reshape manufacturing on the Chinese mainland and what it means for the world.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
