A Real Christmas Village Exists In Yiwu, China

Published December 25, 2014
Updated December 14, 2023

Yiwu, China is the closest thing to a real Christmas village as you can get. With 600 factories, they produce about 60 percent of our Christmas decorations.

Red Dye in Yiwu, China

Source: Daily Mail

“China’s Christmas Village” is located in Yiwu, a city in the Zhejiang Province. Though there are no elves, snow or reindeer in sight, Yiwu produces around 60% of the world’s Christmas decorations.

The UN referred to the real Christmas village as the “largest small commodity wholesale market in the world,” and it’s easy to see why. In the region’s 600 factories, migrant laborers work exhausting 12-hour days, assembling a majority of the ornaments, snowflakes, tinsel and other decorations by hand. Despite working long hours and being exposed to various chemicals, employees only earn about $460 a month.

Real Christmas Village Tree Making

Source: Daily Mail

Making Christmas Decorations In Yiwu

Source: Daily Mail

Christmas Decorations Yiwu

Source: Daily Mail

Yiwu Real Christmas Workshop

Source: Xinhuanet

Christmas Decoration Factory

Source: The Guardian

Santa Claus Decorations

Source: Xinhuanet

Real Santa's Workshop Yiwu

Source: Gizmodo

Real Christmas Village Decorations

Source: China Daily

Real Christmas Village in China

Source: Mashable

Once the decorations are completed, they are driven in truckloads to a large exhibition center, where fake Christmas trees, Santas, snowflakes, tinsel and LED lights line the streets. Here decorations are bought in bulk and shipped internationally to meet the needs of consumers—often Americans—who seek cheap decorations. While Yiwu’s decoration sales soared during the recession, the real Christmas village now faces more competition and decreased demand.

Workers In Yiwu China

Source: SBS

China Produces Majority of Christmas Decorations

Source: Gizmodo

Christmas Tree Vendors

Source: China Daily

Red Dye at Real Christmas Village

Source: Fast Company

author
Kiri Picone
author
Kiri Picone holds a B.A. in English and creative writing from Pepperdine University and has been writing for various digital publishers for more than 10 years.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.