Photo: Yiwu Christmas market

This Christmas could look very different as the coronavirus pandemic has stopped foreign customers from placing orders from China's Yiwu, the world's largest Christmas goods manufacturing base. 

Yiwu, located in East China's Zhejiang Province, now manufactures 60 percent of the world's Christmas goods ranging from Christmas trees and lights to toys and clothing, Cai Qinliang, secretary general of the Yiwu Christmas Decorations Association, told the Global Times on Thursday. 

China produces about 80 percent of the world's Christmas products, with South China's Guangdong Province being another manufacturing hub for the goods, he said. 

"Foreign countries have no choice but to purchase large quantities of Christmas ornaments from China, as there's no other country that has complete Christmas product industry chains," said Cai.

However several Yiwu sellers said foreign orders have slumped in March, the start of the Christmas ordering season, as the pandemic has led to difficulties placing orders. Orders usually peak in April, May and June.

"I have not seen one customer entering our shop since we opened after the Spring Festival holiday," said an employee surnamed Zheng at the Li Yuan Christmas Gifts Co, which has a booth selling Christmas toys and socks in Yiwu's Futian Market. The shop saw a daily average of 10 groups of customers during this period in 2019. 

"We had about a dozen orders in March 2019. This month, we only have two small orders," she told the Global Times. 

Zhu Zhijuan, manager of Christmas tree seller Zhejiang Yiwu Xintean Arts & Crafts Co, said her company's sales revenue has fallen about 50 percent year-on-year in March, while business inquiries went down 20 percent. 

"Many of my customers had already placed orders by this time in the past. This year, they are waiting to see [how the situation develops]," she said. About half of Zhu's customers are from Europe, which has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. 

"This is terrible. I fear business is doomed for 2020," she said. She made a profit of roughly 5 million yuan ($702,500) in 2019.

But Cai said it is unclear how China's Christmas industry will fare this year. "It depends on how the coronavirus develops in foreign countries."