Photo of the Day: A Thousand Flowers in Yiwu

Concluding this week’s photo theme — Things in Yiwu — here’s an amazing still from the short documentary Second Tier City. This image of a vendor of fake flowers in Yiwu also doubles as the documentary’s title card.

Filmmakers Han Xia and Matthew Moroz tell Radii:

Han Xia: Yiwu is probably the most international city I’ve been to in China. There is so much diversity… Unlike most of the first-tier cities in China, it doesn’t matter which school you went to. Starting a business is almost like a must-do for young people in Yiwu, just like getting married and having babies.

Matt Moroz: What I found strange about Yiwu is how well designed the market is. I’ve been to markets around the world and Yiwu is the most unique one I’ve seen. It’s so well designed that many of the stores look like contemporary art installations you would see in New York. There’s also so much variety it really feels as if you are walking around a physical eBay.

See the film and our full interview with the directors here.