Wenzhou

Understand

Wenzhou is the third city of Zhejiang Province and one of the economic power houses of the region. Famed for its businessmen and women of the night and the Wenzhou model of business, Wenzhou is frequently used by Western media as a barometer of the Chinese export economy; among other things, Wenzhou manufactures around 90% of the world's spectacles and massive quantities of shoes. Wenzhou is not on many China tour itineraries and despite being a Chinese cultural hotpot, it is not the most foreigner friendly of cities compared with Hangzhou and Ningbo, for example. However, there are plenty of things to do and see should you find yourself with time on your hands in Wenzhou. The city has a resident foreigner community that is below average for the city's size 100-200 although foreign businessmen often pass through.

Although Mandarin is widely spoken, the local dialect is Wenzhounese 温州话; Wēnzhōuhuà and is regarded by Chinese nationals as one of the most difficult dialects in the country, so much so that Wenzhounese speakers were used by the Chinese resistance in World War II to communicate under the nose of the Japanese. Wenzhounese people populate many of the China towns around the globe where their language is still spoken and own the leases to many properties in Beijing and even San Francisco.