Longyao: Longyao county, which is located in Hebei province and about 300 kilometers southwest of Beijing, is the nail-making center of China.
According to the county’s development and reform bureau, it produces about half a million metric tons each year, 80 percent of the nails used nationally and more than 60 percent of those used globally, and has an annual output value of 2 billion yuan ($292 million).
Longyao’s association with the humble nail began in the mid-1980s, at a time when only family workshops existed.
After nearly four decades of development, the county is now home to some 60 companies that employ 20,000 workers who produce about 400 different types of nails.
Popular domestically, Longyao nails are sold to 30 countries and regions around the world, including the United States and Russia.
The industry is centered in Gongzi village in Weijiazhuang town.
“Small as the nail is, people cannot live without it,” said Ma Zhihua, manager of one of the factories in the county, adding that nails are used in many aspects of life, such as in making home appliances and furniture, ships and trains, as well as for use in decoration and construction.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
