More parts of China are joining the fold when it comes to entrepreneurship and manufacturing innovations, according to an article by China Daily. One new up-and-coming technological center is located in Guangdong Province, in some parts of the Pearl River Delta.
Originally known as the hub of traditional manufacturers and companies that offer commercial services, the Pearl River Delta is experiencing a rebirth that gives it a much-needed digital edge.
Local entrepreneurs, of course, experience its effects. One such local is Li Hua, the founder of a Guangzhou-based company that provides financial accounting and other related services to private enterprises.
A former teacher, Li quit her job in Xi'an and traveled to Guangzhou in 2004 to help her mother with her wholesale clothing business.
Due to various technological advances, Li founded Zhenhaipifa.com, an exclusive e-commerce platform in 2014, to fill the need for a professional e-commerce service, which she discovered in 2009.
She waited two years, traveling across the country during the period, until she finally launched her e-commerce platform.
"I don't think faster is better. I prefer to make sure every step I take is sound and steady," Li said in an interview with China Daily.
When it was finally launched, Zhenhaipifa.com has given users access to approximately 500 wholesale markets from 38 different Chinese cities. So far, there are 22,410 users registered on the website.
Public information available on the site includes the locations of their wholesale markets as well as business licenses. By helping buyers address issues of substandard products, Zhenhaipifa.com was able to improve after-sales services of wholesale businesses in China.
As an added support, Li has included factories and logistics enterprises to the website.
"Brick-and-mortar wholesale markets won't die though because buyers still regard a seller with a physical store more trustworthy (than online shops)," Li said. "Moreover, physical stores provide samples of commodities. But the markets must embrace the Internet, and adapt their business models to people's new consumptive habits."
According to Li, in the future, brick-and-mortar markets may become just showrooms and after-sales service centers, while promotions and deals will be made online.