In the exhibition area of the e-Shang Town-Cao County Digital Economy Industrial Park in Cao County, Heze City, Shandong Province, a dazzling array of Hanfu garments fills the space. Nearby, in the live-stream and cross-border e-commerce service zones, hosts are actively promoting these traditional Chinese outfits to online audiences.
Zhang Longfei, director of the Cao County E-commerce Service Center, noted that local performance costume producers have seized the "national trend" opportunity, building a complete Hanfu supply chain that covers original design, manufacturing, online sales, and after-sales service. He highlighted the county's impressive trajectory from an agricultural base to a hub where one in every two Hanfu sold nationwide originates from Cao County.
Explaining this success, Zhang pointed to the county's robust e-commerce backbone. He cited figures showing the county now has 2,822 Hanfu enterprises, 15,627 online shops, and 224 offline experience stores, employing nearly 100,000 people. Notably, of the top 2,000 Hanfu-selling online stores nationwide, 1,200 are based in Cao County.
"Anything can be sold," and technology-driven innovation are the hallmarks of Cao County's Hanfu sector. Hu Chunqing, president of the Cao County Hanfu Association and general manager of Chenfei Apparel Co., Ltd., explained that local firms have developed Hanfu for humanoid robots by refining their design and materials, aiming to give robots both technology and warmth. These products are now widely used in stage performances. Hu envisions future developments in robot apparel for eldercare, education, and special operations, hoping such clothing becomes as commonplace as phone cases.
At the Global Construction Machinery Cross-border E-commerce Distribution Center in Jining City, products like excavators, skid steer loaders, lawn mowers, and golf carts are efficiently reaching global markets. Jining is one of China's six major construction machinery production bases, yet local producers previously struggled with limited overseas clients and absent export channels.
Lv Canying, deputy director of the Jining High-tech Zone Economic Operation Bureau, said the center operates a year-round platform that integrates exhibitions with live-stream selling and coordinated production and sales. It offers comprehensive services covering display, broadcasting, transactions, and logistics. Enterprises can access full-service convenience without leaving the zone, which has boosted buyer confidence and success rates internationally.
Su Hang, chairman of Yiyunying (Shandong) Network Technology Co., Ltd., described their AI-based export system that uses big data to map overseas client profiles, enabling adaptive multi-language communication strategies. The "front showroom, back warehouse" model is converting live-stream traffic into tangible economic gains. Products are shipped in advance to the company's overseas warehouses across 17 countries and regions, with local staff engaging potential customers via social media to spark interest. After online lead generation, buyers can visit warehouses to inspect and test equipment. This shortens delivery time from 45 days for direct domestic shipping to under one week, potentially boosting client acquisition efficiency by 34%. Jining's construction machinery now serves customers across Europe, the Americas, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.