Located on the China-Kazakhstan border, the Horgos International Border Cooperation Center has witnessed booming business as it continues to attract buyers, live-streamers and tourists from both sides since it was launched in 2012.
It is also the first cross-border economic cooperation zone that China has established with other countries.
Customers can buy duty-free products at a wholesale market in the center, but they cannot splurge, as the discounts depend on the weight of the goods. For each person, the duty-free allowance is 25 kilograms per month.
Many shops, therefore, have prepared vacuum-packing machines to help customers weigh the goods they plan to buy.
Shuttle bus services are provided daily to transport buyers from Kazakhstan to purchase a wide variety of high-quality goods.
"This time we are here to buy bedding sets and clothes. The quality of the products here is quite good, and we bought over 300,000 Kazakh tenge (around 617.53 U.S. dollars) worth of goods," said a buyer from Kazakhstan.
A number of shops at the wholesale market has hired foreign live-streamers to help sell products.
"We earn an average of 15,000 Kazakh tenge (around 30.88 U.S. dollars) per day, so many people from Kazakhstan would like to work here," said a live-streamer from Kazakhstan.
Straddling the China-Kazakhstan border, the center has become a popular tourist destination. In the first half of this year, it recorded over 2.72 million visits, up 113 percent from the same period last year.
The China-Kazakhstan mutual visa exemption agreement taking effect last year has further consolidated this tourism boom, as self-driving tours and group tours bring more tourists in and out of the border. Each domestic tourist can enjoy a duty-free allowance of 8,000 yuan (1,124.69 U.S. dollars) per day at the duty-free shops in the center.
"Of all the tourists visiting the shop, domestic tourists account for 80 to 90 percent. The shop's sales reach an average of 1.5 million yuan (around 210,762.9 U.S. dollars) per month from May till now. The goods are directly imported from Europe or transported by China-Europe freight trains," said Zhang Hongying, manager of a duty free shop in the center.
Taking advantage of its unique geographical location and favorable policies, the center has become a testing ground for connectivity between Eurasian countries, a popular tourist destination, and a must-visit shopping spot, said an official from the center.
From January to August this year, the total trade value of goods entering the center from China reached 3.2 billion yuan (about 449.79 million U.S. dollars).
Free trade zone on China-Kazakhstan border sees booming business
Director and screenwriter Shao Yihui Monday shared experiences behind the scenes and sincerely appreciated the audience's encouragement and recognition for Her Story, the new Chinese comedy film which earned rave reviews by telling authentic stories from a largely female perspective.
Her Story unfolds around the life and growth of the fiercely independent single mom Wang Tiemei and her new neighbor Xiao Ye, the "romantic fool". They are completely different in personality yet accompany each other through various relationship challenges. The movie breaks away from the conventional romance or self-help narration and stands out from the rest of the genre by bringing out exquisite, multidimensional portrayal of women via sharp, humorous lines.
Its broad and thrilling resonance partly attributes to location shooting. Shao made big efforts in finding and negotiating for perfect real-life sites.
"I think the architectural style of Shanghai decides the unique lifestyle there. Like many modern tenants in those old villas, they share some activity space and have close ties with their neighbors," Shao said.
Shao devoted the same strictness and responsibility to the casting process. Wang Tiemei is designed to be a warm, positive and chill single mom. And Chinese actress Song Jia popped up into her mind when she was still writing the script.
"She's a perfect match. She is refreshing and elegant in daily life. Although she later told me that she was a bit worried during acting because she was used to portraying roles that are quite different from her own. When the role is very similar to herself, she felt unsure," said Shao.
And she chose Chinese actress Elaine Zhong Chuxi to be the moon-struck but rational Xiao Ye because she saw their similarities.
"I did not know her very well at the beginning. Her past TV shows gave me an independent and mature impression. And she has a bright and beautiful face. But after chatting with her, I found that she's kind and delicate, considerate to the mood of others, bearing some resemblance to Xiao Ye. So I hope to dig out and display that part of her, in contrast to her past," Shao said.
So far, Her Story is rated at 9.1 out of 10 points on Douban, China's leading film-rating platform. Over 140,000 audience have commented on the movie.
While some have compared Her Story to a Chinese counterpart to Barbie, a 2023 global hit from Warner Bros., for its whimsical yet incisive tone, many argue that it presents a distinctly Chinese perspective on gender issues.
Shao remains modest about her great success.
"I know there is still room for improvement, but the audience have been tolerant to us. I think it's because my movie delivers something different from others, showing some novelty, so people like it. That makes up for our shortcomings. I think there's also good luck in the movie's success," Shao said.
Her Story is set to hit the big screens in the United States, Australia, New Zealand and other countries and regions on Wednesday.
Director shares behind-the-scenes stories of hot film Her Story
