International residents experience Chinese culture in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province (COURTESY) 

In the heart of Yiwu, China’s trading hub known as the world’s supermarket, conversations shift effortlessly between dozens of languages. Restaurant signs appear in multiple scripts, Middle Eastern cafés stand beside Chinese eateries, and people from around the world call Jimingshan Community home. Nearly 1,400 foreign residents from 74 countries and regions live in the 2-square-km neighbourhood, giving it the nickname “UN Community.” 

Over the past decade, Jimingshan has shown how practical services, mutual support and participation can transform a diverse population into a genuine community. The approach has enabled people from different cultures not only to live side by side, but also to play an active role in neighbourhood life. 

Finding a common language 

For community officials, the first challenge was obvious. Before newcomers could feel at home, they first needed to communicate. 

“Language, customs and different ways of thinking can easily lead to misunderstandings,” said Wu Junying, deputy secretary of the CPC Jimingshan Community Committee. 

Recognising that communication is the first step towards belonging, the community established China’s first neighbourhood-level service centre for foreign residents in 2014. Alongside immigration assistance, legal advice and school enrolment support, it offers free Chinese classes that many affectionately call “a Confucius Institute on our doorstep.” 

The classes have become one of the community’s most popular activities. But integration is not a one-way process. Mohamed Mahmoud, a businessman from Mauritania who speaks Chinese, English and Arabic, now volunteers as an Arabic teacher for local traders. 

“I hope these classes can help Chinese traders who need Arabic,” he said. “More importantly, I hope they can bring our different cultures closer together.” 

That exchange captures what makes Jimingshan unique. New arrivals receive support, but they are also encouraged to share their own knowledge and talents, becoming contributors to community life rather than simply beneficiaries of it. 

From support to service 

As an international trading hub, Yiwu naturally sees disputes arising from different business practices and everyday customs. Community officials soon realised that bridging cultural differences could matter just as much as knowing the law. 

“When our staff mediated disputes, some foreigners felt we weren’t taking their side,” Wu said. “But when fellow foreigners explained the situation, speaking the same language and sharing the same cultural background, people were much more willing to listen.” 

That insight led to the establishment of the International Mediation Team in 2014, where trusted members of the international community help to settle disputes involving fellow expatriates. 

One of the first mediators was Iranian businessman Gholamhossein Dehghani. Having lived in Yiwu since 2003, he speaks several languages and is well respected among international traders. 

In early 2024, a logistics company in Ningbo and an Iranian client became locked in a commercial dispute over differing interpretations of contract terms. Drawing on his understanding of both Chinese and Iranian business practices, Dehghani organised several discussions and eventually helped them  reach an agreement, avoiding a lengthy legal process. 

Inspired by volunteers like Dehghani, more foreign residents now serve as translators, neighbourhood patrol volunteers and first-aid responders. They have become trusted partners in solving problems, strengthening the community they now call home. 

International residents practise Chinese calligraphy at Jimingshan Community in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province (COURTESY) 

A seat at the table 

The next step was to give foreign residents a greater voice in shaping neighbourhood life. 

Jimingshan established a Chinese and Foreign Residents’ Council, where representatives from different nationalities meet regularly to discuss local issues, from improving public spaces to everyday matters affecting residents’ quality of life. 

For Yemeni businessman Awsan Abdul, taking part in these discussions has transformed his sense of belonging. “When your suggestions are accepted and actually improve the place where you live, you feel no different from local residents,” he said.  

That sense of ownership now extends into everyday life. Council members record public information videos in their native languages, explain temporary service disruptions to neighbours and help to organise community activities. They are no longer simply adapting to their surroundings; they are helping to shape the future of the community. 

Today, Abdul sees Yiwu as much more than the place where he runs his business. “My children believe they live in the best neighbourhood, the best city and the best country,” he said. “We are very fortunate to be here.” 

Jimingshan’s experience suggests that successful integration is about more than helping newcomers to settle in. It is about creating opportunities for them to contribute, take responsibility and have a voice. In doing so, this small neighbourhood in Yiwu demonstrates how diversity can become one of a community’s greatest strengths.