Couriers shuttled back and forth, delivery drones soared in the sky, and real-time data flickered on electronic screens… Journalists learned on December 24 that Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei — the 930-meter-long “No.1 Electronics Street in China” — had shipped over 3.67 million domestic and international parcels on that day, setting a brand-new record.
“Huaqiangbei delivers more than 1 billion parcels annually, averaging over 3 million per day. The parcel volume of this single street is equivalent to that of a provincial-level administrative region in mainland China,” introduced Du Hanhan, Deputy Director of Huaqiangbei Sub-district Office. Domestic and international shipments account for 60% and 40% respectively, covering 183 countries and regions worldwide. The total value of goods has exceeded 100 billion yuan, with import and export volume surpassing 40 billion yuan.
Massive Parcel Volumes Reach the Globe, Building an Efficient Logistics Network
Where are these massive numbers of parcels heading? Data from over 210 logistics stations in Huaqiangbei provides the answer:
- Domestic parcels: 60% flow to the three major economic circles of the Pearl River Delta, Yangtze River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
- Overseas parcels: In recent years, a diversified market layout covering North America, ASEAN, the Middle East, Europe, and Latin America has taken shape.
“90-minute delivery within the city, 2-day delivery across China, 3-day delivery to neighboring countries, and 7-day delivery to major global cities” — the economic ripples emanating from Huaqiangbei have spread worldwide, fully affirming its reputation as a global bellwether for the electronic information industry.
Goods turnover keeps accelerating, and visitors stream in endlessly. Huaqiangbei welcomes over 700,000 visitors daily, among whom more than 7,000 are foreign merchants.
Abdallah, a merchant from Burundi, filled out the parcel waybill and sent the newly purchased mobile phone accessories to his hometown market. “These products are very popular back home. In the past two years, five of my friends have come here to do business with me,” he said happily. Looking at Huaqiangbei’s parcel orders, traditional mobile phones and accessories account for half of the total market share. With the rise of AI applications, drones, TWS earphones, AI glasses, and other products have further become global “hard currency”.
Full-chain Industrial Support Lays the Foundation for Market Prosperity
Behind the booming market lies strong industrial support.
Covering a mere 1.45 square kilometers, the Huaqiangbei business district is home to 115,000 market entities and 35 specialized markets, supplying over 1 million types of electronic components. It truly embodies the concept that “one street equals a complete industrial chain”.
Meanwhile, the world’s top-ranked “Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Hong Kong Innovation Cluster” and the world-class electronic information industry cluster around the Pearl River Estuary have further fostered Huaqiangbei’s full-stack supply capacity featuring “core technologies + key components + complete machine integration + rapid iteration”. “Design in the morning, prototype in the afternoon, mass-produce the next day, and ship overseas within a week” has become the daily rhythm here.
Thanks to its superior entrepreneurial environment, Huaqiangbei has attracted more than 20,000 makers from around the world. The sub-district has specially set up foreign maker stations and multilingual service windows to facilitate their ventures.
Henk, a Dutch maker who has rooted in Huaqiangbei for nearly five years, has grown from an initial backpacker to the manager of a well-known studio. He said: “The upcoming APEC meeting to be held in Shenzhen next year has become a hot topic among my friends and me. I’m deeply impressed by the statement that ‘to walk hand in hand with China is to walk hand in hand with opportunities’. Huaqiangbei is my opportunity, and an open, prosperous China will surely be an opportunity for the whole world.”
Small Parcels Reflect a Big Picture, Mirroring China’s Economic Vitality and Resilience
“Though small in size, the ‘Huaqiangbei parcels’ carry profound significance,” said Guo Wanda, Executive Vice President of China Development Institute (Shenzhen). “Through these parcels, we can clearly see the vigorous vitality of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and even the entire Chinese economy. The prosperity of Huaqiangbei is a vivid epitome of China’s more proactive integration into the global economy and its commitment to the mutually beneficial and win-win opening-up strategy.”
The parcel volume of Huaqiangbei serves as a small yet excellent window to observe China’s current economic landscape. It not only showcases the micro-pulse of China’s economic vitality but also outlines China’s value and responsibility in the global supply chain.
As the “No.1 Electronics Street in China”, Huaqiangbei’s continuous evolution offers multiple insights:
- Connotation dimension: Its unique “ultra-dense economic ecosystem” has achieved the efficient aggregation of information, products, and talents.
- Extension dimension: It highlights the scientific and technological innovation cluster advantages and industrial ecosystem charm of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Breaking free from the label of the “one-meter counter” in the past, Huaqiangbei today is undergoing a transformative evolution in step with the times, steadily advancing toward the goal of becoming the “No.1 Street for the Origin of New Quality Productive Forces”. This future-oriented and sustainable innovation attitude is the most inspiring discovery reflected in every single parcel.
Moreover, the figures — “over 7,000 foreign merchants among the daily 700,000 visitors” and “more than 20,000 global makers settled here” — are another brilliant landscape hidden behind the parcels. These numbers not only mark Huaqiangbei’s vivid image as a “super node” in the global innovation network but also translate high-level opening-up into the transactions and exchanges taking place vividly in Huaqiangbei every day.
Huaqiangbei belongs to the world; Huaqiangbei is a hub of dynamism. It serves as a “microscope” for China’s new quality productive forces in manufacturing and a “magnifying glass” for the “China node” in the global supply chain, reflecting a resilient, open, and vibrant Chinese economy.
