With so many new and exciting brands of goods coming out of Chinese manufacturing centers these days, it’s getting more and more important to become familiar with the cities and locales in the far east that make some of the biggest and most significant contributions to the wholesale and retail industries at large. Most of us know about the biggest and most famous cities in China, but do you know about the smaller players that are supporting an enormous manufacturing base on their very own? This is your chance to get in early on an up and coming city that is sure to make news in the near future.

International cities in China that instantly come to mind are usually the “big three” names; Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. While there are some other names that come up after a few minutes longer, the name “Jiaozhou” rarely seems to ever be heard amongst them. Well, all of that is about to change, as the city of Jiaozhou is ramping up an initiative to start making its presence felt all over the world, and they are doing it by attracting some of the biggest names in industry today.

Jiaozhou is a coastal city by the Yellow Sea, and is located nearby a much more well known city called Qingdao, which is also on the coast in Shandong Province. Qingdao, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Tsingtao Beer – which is definitely something to be proud of – is also a major hub for trade activity and technology in China. The smaller city of Jiaozhou has been steadily keeping pace with its neighbor, in an effort to reach a level that many other cities in China can only dream of. Perhaps this is why the city has been honored with several titles, such as the State Sanitary City, the Model Environment Protection City, State Gardening City, and Leading City in  Scientific  and Technological Work.

By developing industry, the city is on a growth trajectory that makes many foreign investors make inquiries and even stop by to visit, as they look for the next hot spots in Asia that will become manufacturing and branding centers for the world. Jiaozhou is one of those places, and with its highly advantageous position, and the vast resources at its disposal, it will undoubtedly become the next focal point amidst emerging cities in Asia that have what it takes to lead the way to higher quality and improved technology in manufacturing and distribution. There are over 6000 taxpaying enterprises, about 1,100 of which are foreign enterprises, 753 enterprises are large-scope enterprises. 12 enterprises of the Fortune Top 500, like Emerson, Larfage have settled down in Jiaozhou. Many well-known domestic corporations, such as Haier and CRMC also have branches here. At present, Jiaozhou has developed into the domestic important manufacturing base of container, iron-pagoda, charcoal, and Nike-brand shoes.

“Stimulating Market Economy by Trade” is one of the important strategies of Jiaozhou. There are now dozens of well-known domestic and foreign enterprises dotting the landscape, including Su-ning Electronics, Gome, McDonald’s, KFC, Liqun, and Guohuo has upgraded the shopping grade for Jiaozhou people. Xiangjiang International Group of Hong Kong also develops a Jiaozhou Bay Fortune Center project of 25,0000 square meters, which will contribute to the shaping of a featured business zone in the old urban district of the city. Jiaozhou Commercial Town, which is the biggest market for construction and ornament materials within the entire Qingdao area, has a special zone congregating five kinds of materials including building materials, steel products, ornaments, hardware, and lighting. If you didn’t know about Jiaozhou before, now might be the right time to start looking!