Wu Hongying shows a banner written "business booming" at her shop in the Yiwu International Trade Market in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Feb. 18, 2020. Yiwu International Trade Market, the world's leading small commodities market in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, opened to customers from all around the world Tuesday morning. Purchasers and merchants have been assigned QR codes after submitting an online application. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)
Yiwu International Trade Market, the world's leading small commodities market in east China's Zhejiang Province, was reopened to customers from all around the world Tuesday morning.
The market usually opens on the 12th day of the first month on the Chinese lunar calendar after the Spring Festival holiday. However, the opening date was postponed for nearly two weeks this year for coronavirus epidemic prevention.
Purchasers and merchants have been assigned QR codes after submitting an online application. Purchasers should scan the codes of the merchants that they visit to record their tracks in the market.
These QR codes, along with face recognition technology and high-definition cameras, have been adopted to follow all personnel's tracks in the market.
As of 5 p.m. Sunday, applications of 54,679 merchants, employees and purchasers have been authorized online.
Catering, accommodation, foreign trade services, logistics, customs clearance, finance and other supporting services will also resume to ensure operations of the market go back to normal.
On Tuesday morning, with authorized QR codes and valid identity cards, merchants wearing masks entered the market after passing body temperature tests.
Zhang Xiaoai is one of the merchants. "Although online communication has become a main way of our communication with customers, the shops in the market are still important windows for displaying our products," Zhang said.
On Tuesday, an estimated 50 percent of merchants returned to business, and the share may rise to 80 percent by the end of this month, according to Zhang Qizhen, deputy general manager of Zhejiang China Commodities City Group.
