Jining – a pretender to the crown of Zhejiang as China’s largest leather production centre
A young pretender – Jining, is challenging the supremacy of Zhejiang as China’s largest production centre for leather goods and footwear.
Though its association with the large-scale production of leather goods only dates back as far back as 1993, the Inner Mongolian city of Jining is today being compared with Zhejiang in terms of both output and dollar value terms.
Covering a 3 square kilometre area, the Jining leather trade area also boasts a thriving market – something which is absent in the production-obsessed leather district of Zhejiang. In fact, with 5000 traders’ stalls, operated by different 4000 enterprises, Jining market is now the biggest distribution centre for leather goods in North China.
The market’s main commodities are leather garments, bags and cases - products that are sold to every corner of China and exported to Russia and Eastern Europe. In 2000, estimated sales from Jining and its market reached $1 billion.
