Yiwu International Bicycle & New Energy Electric-Cycle Exhibition is built around the export side of China’s two-wheeler industry, and its floor runs from complete vehicles to the parts and services that carry them to overseas buyers. Electric bicycles and power-assisted e-bikes sit at the centre, with electric motorcycles and scooters beside them; behind the vehicles are the battery, drive motor and control system, and around them chargers, frames, tyres, brakes and safety equipment.

What sets the show apart is where it is held. Yiwu is one of the country’s largest wholesale bases for bicycles and e-bikes and the world’s largest small-commodities market, so the exhibition runs alongside a permanent trading district where the same goods are traded all year, and buyers move between the two. Charging and battery-swap infrastructure, cross-border e-commerce platforms, overseas warehouses and freight forwarders stand on the same floor, which reflects how the export business is actually done.