The Khorgos Port of Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture is the longest and largest land port in the western part of the mainland. With the establishment of the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos International Border Cooperation and Trade Center in 2003, it became the world's first cross-border free trade zone. The goods sold here are cheaper than ordinary duty-free shops, and at the same time attract merchants and tourists from all over the world, becoming an important window for China's opening to the west. During this trip, I came to the port of Khorgos City in Xinjiang to explore the important site of the "Belt and Road".
A cold leaf photographed in Ili, Xinjiang.
The China-Kazakhstan Khorgos International Border Trade Cooperation Zone has a total area of 5.28 square kilometers, 3.43 square kilometers in the mainland and 1.85 square kilometers in Kazakhstan. In the previous article, I have already introduced the situation in the Chinese region, and today I will walk across the national border and come to Kazakhstan to see the trade situation in the Kazakhstan region.
The sky was still the same, the same blue, but when I crossed the border, I came to another country, and although I had only walked a few steps, it was already another world. There is a square directly opposite the border gatehouse, and in the middle of the square there is a huge sculpture: on a large stone stands a golden eagle about to soar. The golden eagle is an important symbol of the Kazakh people, so here you can easily see some carved patterns.
This square is called Golden Eagle Square, and behind the square is the Golden Eagle Duty Free City. There is an extended Cadillac car in the square, although the style is a little old, but it is still very conspicuous, parked in the middle of the square, mainly for picking up and dropping off shopping tourists, it is obvious that this is to grab the source of customers. It seems that the Kazakhs have learned this set of business experience of the Chinese very thoroughly.
I first came to Golden Eagle Duty Free City, where there are many stalls along the street on the first floor of the city selling some Kazakh specialties. On the billboard of the stall, there are several Chinese large characters written on the special ice cream of Kazakhstan. According to the guide, this ice cream is delicious and very popular with Chinese, and almost everyone who comes will buy one to taste.
I also leaned in and looked at it, filling the freezer with ice cream of all flavors. Judging by the packaging, not a single word Chinese, this should be a purely Kazakh product. However, the salesperson who sells ice cream speaks standard Mandarin, and it is obvious that she is Chinese.
Walking into the mall, you first come to the cosmetics area, which is very lively, which is the same scene we see in many foreign duty-free shops. The top of the head is full of signs with Chinese, the goods are marked in Chinese and English, and the shopping guide has a fluent Chinese, as for the shoppers, it is the same Chinese appearance.
Looking at the world, in terms of purchasing power alone, no country or region can compare with China. Food, clothing, use, and play, as long as the price is cheap. I walked around, cosmetics are cheaper than ordinary duty-free shops, but if you can use it, you can buy it, you can't be greedy and buy more, otherwise it is also a waste. However, I personally think that there are several Kazakh specialties in the duty-free city: chocolate, cookies and the like are still good.
On the second floor of the duty-free city, there is a small shop that sells various goods, and it is a small shop that is operated separately. Similarly Chinese signage, Chinese salesperson, Alipay, WeChat payment, except for a few more Kazakh characters, you don't seem to feel that you are abroad.
After interviewing a number of shops, I suddenly found a problem, from the inside out, it was all Chinese, and I didn't see a single Kazakh. This is obviously a duty-free shop in Kazakhstan, why is it all Chinese operated. After understanding, I learned that the Kazakhs were not Chinese opponents at all in business, and they lost one after another over time, so they became what they see now. Well, all I can say is that Chinese is too powerful, and if we allow it, we will surely occupy the whole world.
I am also a little tired after a day of shopping, I bought what I should have bought, and I ate what I should have eaten, in short, I felt "cheap". Going abroad is so complicated when you go back home, as long as you don't lose your pass, you can go home soon. At a small counter at the exit, many people's identity cards and other documents were densely packed. My God, I was busy buying, buying, buying, so many people lost their documents. I don't know how they came back, it's probably a lot of trouble. Again, go out and take care of your personal belongings, otherwise it will be troublesome.