County in E China's Jiangsu turns crystals into a global business

A livestreamer promotes crystal products during a livestreaming session at a store in Donghai Crystal City, located in Donghai county, Lianyungang city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (People's Daily Online/Huang Qiyuan)

In Donghai county, east China's Jiangsu Province, the annual crystal trade is worth more than 60 billion yuan (about $8.96 billion).

On lunar calendar days ending in 4 or 9, Taojing Square at Donghai Crystal City becomes a bustling fair: nearly 3,000 stalls selling crystal rough stones, bracelets and ornaments. More than 30,000 people pass through daily, and the best-performing specialty stalls take in over 100,000 yuan a day.

Jiang Guangxin came from Liaocheng, east China's Shandong Province, specifically to buy crystals. Donghai, he said, offers a wider variety at lower prices than anywhere else he'd looked.

The crystal fair is not just about the fun of haggling; it is also a gateway to global business. Livestreamers move through the stalls, showing crystals to buyers worldwide, and some close 40 to 50 orders in just three or four hours.

The crystal fair has evolved far beyond a conventional market, connecting the small county with consumer markets across China and around the world. Donghai has about 300,000 people working in the crystal industry and related industries.

"Building on its established crystal processing and e-commerce supply chains, Donghai has also grown a new industry: handmade press-on nails.

On Yigao Road, near Donghai Crystal City, nearly 50 press-on nail shops pack a street less than 800 meters long, with styles to suit almost any taste.

Donghai produces more than 300 million sets of handmade press-on nails a year — over 70 percent of the national total — and exports them to more than 30 countries and regions.

A staff member selects wearable nails for customers at a store in Donghai county, Lianyungang city, east China's Jiangsu Province. (People's Daily Online/Huang Qiyuan)

Statistics show that from July to August this year, the fair drove a year-on-year increase of roughly 120 percent in restaurant spending nearby, with weekend hotel occupancy topping 95 percent.

The visitors keep coming. According to the county's tourism bureau, key scenic spots drew 7.03 million visits from January to July this year, and spending rose in the commercial districts around them. Crystals brought Donghai its reputation: the fair, the livestreams and now the nail shops keep giving people a reason to return.