Small is beautiful for trade hub that adapts

HANGZHOU－"This crystal clock looks so nice; how much is it?" Kauthar Ding asked a shop owner in the Yiwu International Trade Market in Zhejiang province.

After finding out the price, she used her smartphone to relay the information to a client thousands of kilometers away. "It's 115 yuan ($18)," she said in Arabic.

The Palestinian merchant shook his head. "It's a bit expensive," he said, and Ding moved to the next booth.