Recently, the journalists participating in the 2026 'Vibrant China' Media Tour in Hunan visited the Domestic and Foreign Trade Service Center at the Huaihua International Land Port. A networking event themed "Gaining Insights into Overseas Markets and Exploring Ways for Industries to Go Global" was being held here, attracting heads of many local luggage and leather goods manufacturers.

"Our suitcases and bags are mainly exported to Europe, America, and the Middle East. Today, we're here primarily to learn how to develop cross-border e-commerce business," said Wu Lixin, head of the Hunan Senmao Luggage Manufacturing Co., Ltd. "Leveraging rail-sea intermodal transport at Huaihua International Land Port, logistics costs can be reduced by 15% compared with previous road transport. This year, our company has already delivered more than 100 containers of exported goods," added Wu.

The photo shows containers at Huaihua International Land Port. (Photo/Dai Jinrong, Xinhua)

Wu Lixin's "cost analysis" is a microcosm of the changes that the Huaihua International Land Port has brought to enterprises. In September 2021, construction began on the Huaihua International Land Port, bringing strategic opportunities for inland mountainous Huaihua to gain access to waterways and sea lanes. In May 2023, Huaihua designated the luggage and leather goods industry as a top priority sector in its port industrial zone. More than three years later, the local luggage and leather goods industrial chain has grown from its initial stages to a robust growth momentum, with its total output value exceeding six billion CNY. The city now is home to 225 enterprises within the chain, including 50 enterprises above the designated size, and has created more than 20,000 jobs.

At the luggage and leather goods industrial park in the Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone, thousands of suitcases, backpacks, and other products are packed into containers and shipped overseas every day, bound for regions such as Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South America, and Africa. According to data from the Huaihua Luggage and Leather Goods Industrial Chain Office, since May 2023, Huaihua's cumulative luggage exports have reached 1.35 billion CNY. In the first half of this year, luggage exports amounted to 667 containers, with a total value of 210 million CNY.

"As more and more upstream and downstream supporting enterprises set up factories here, we no longer need to purchase accessories from other places. Meanwhile, factory rents here are lower than those in coastal areas, and the relatively low labor costs alongside efficient customs clearance and logistics help companies further reduce costs and improve efficiency," said Zhou Zhaoping, chairman of the Hunan Outten Luggage Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Relying on customized services, the company has opened up overseas markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, with total exports reaching 80 million CNY this year.

The "chain-based expansion overseas" of luggage enterprises cannot be achieved without the corridor advantages and enterprise-friendly policies of the Huaihua International Land Port. Zhang Song, director of the Huaihua Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, said that to address bottlenecks such as long customs clearance time for bulk luggage exports, the port has simultaneously implemented facilitation measures such as 24-hour advance booking for customs clearance, a "green channel" for luggage exports, "direct loading and direct pick-up," and a "fixed-price" system for domestic transport. These measures have effectively helped enterprises reduce both time and transportation costs.

According to Man Linhua, head of the Mayang Senjia Luggage Co., Ltd., Huaihua's existing advantages in logistics, labor, and policy are translating into competitive dividends. "We've developed durable, high-capacity backpacks that target the needs of the African market, we've turned them into best-selling export items. In the first half of the year, our export value reached 65.547 million CNY, a year-on-year increase of 91.7%,” she said.

Workers are rushing to fulfill foreign trade orders at the production workshop of Mayang Senjia Luggage Co., Ltd. (Photo provided by the interviewee)

Efficient logistics routes are also expanding the global market for Huaihua's luggage and bags. Currently, the Huaihua International Land Port has opened seven international logistics corridors, reaching 252 ports in 75 countries and regions around the world. Through innovative customs clearance models such as "combined ports" and "all-in-one port," the total travel time for rail-sea intermodal transport has been reduced by three to four days, enabling a seamless connection of "factory—land port—border port."

"Huaihua is a city 'prospered by trains.' The international land port has opened the city's gateway to the world," said Hu Gang, member of the Party Working Committee and deputy director of the Management Committee of Huaihua International Land Port Economic Development Zone. "While actively expanding into emerging markets, we are accelerating the cultivation of local independent luggage brands. At the same time, we are helping enterprises invest in and build processing bases overseas, so as to develop the luggage and leather goods industry into a distinctive industrial cluster for small and medium-sized enterprises in Hunan."

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.
 
Translator: Xiao Juan
 
Chinese source: Xinhua