Editing Yiwu (section)

== Culture and Globalization ==
Yiwu has undergone a transformation into a globalized urban space through its unique position as the world’s largest wholesale market for small commodities. The city has developed into an international hub, drawing hundreds of thousands of traders annually from Africa, the Arab world, and Southeast Asia. As researchers Saïd Belguidoum and Olivier Pliez observe, Yiwu is both "an industrial district and a cosmopolitan urban space," functioning as a nexus of grassroots globalization through trade, migration, and transnational networks.<ref name="BelguidoumPliez2015">{{cite journal |last1=Belguidoum |first1=Saïd |last2=Pliez |first2=Olivier |title=Yiwu: The Creation of a Global Market Town in China |journal=Articulo – Journal of Urban Research |issue=12 |year=2015 |doi=10.4000/articulo.2863 |url=https://doi.org/10.4000/articulo.2863}}</ref> The case of Yiwu illustrates a unique model of globalization: one driven not by elite capital cities but by bottom-up commercial and social dynamics fostered by small traders, local governance, and flexible urban policies.<ref name="BelguidoumPliez2015"/>

The city hosts a diverse resident population, including Arabs, Muslims from across the globe, and traders from sub-Saharan Africa. In 2010, it was estimated that 70% of Yiwu’s 11,000 foreign residents were from the Middle East and North Africa, and over 200,000 traders from those regions visited the city annually.<ref name="BelguidoumPliez2015"/>

A prominent symbol of Yiwu’s multicultural fabric is "Exotic Street" (三毛区), locally known as Maedah, named after the first Egyptian restaurant in the area. This neighborhood has grown into a thriving enclave with Arabic signage, halal restaurants, Islamic bookstores, and freight-forwarding agencies catering to Arab and Muslim traders. It also serves as a social center where wholesalers from different national and cultural backgrounds gather, especially in the evenings after market hours.<ref name="BelguidoumPliez2015"/>