JINAN — Lacking any local steel, a small town in eastern China has mastered the art of metal and fire, evolving from crafting basic steamers to producing high-tech smart kitchens.

Through sheer ingenuity, Xingfu township in Boxing county, Shandong province, has become an unlikely powerhouse, supplying kitchens worldwide with everything from pots and pans to robotic cooks.

Xingfu's success defies its geography. Tucked away in northern Shandong's Yellow River floodplain — with no advantages in geography, transportation or natural resources, Xingfu has cultivated a dense cluster of over 2,800 commercial kitchenware businesses. They form a seamless, end-to-end industrial network, managing every step from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products.

The market scale is immense — 20 million units of equipment each year, fueling an industry worth over 30 billion yuan ($4.2 billion). Having captured 40 percent of the Chinese market, Xingfu's influence now extends globally — with its products reaching professional kitchens in more than 60 countries and regions.

Booming sector

Xingfu's kitchenware manufacturing origins date back to the 1960s, when local artisans produced household steamers for a region fond of steamed buns. Selling their wares door-to-door, artisans there built a local reputation for quality.

The industry's pivotal shift came in the 1980s — with the growth of enterprise canteens and the hospitality sector. Recognizing this commercial demand, Xingfu's entrepreneurs established workshops to manufacture larger canteen stoves and stainless steel utensils, laying the foundation for the modern industry.

With the booming development of China's catering industry and private economy, demand for commercial kitchenware surged dramatically. Kitchenware enterprises in Xingfu sprang up like mushrooms, rapidly increasing from a dozen to hundreds, forming the initial scale of the industry.

"In those days, the clanging sounds of hammering filled the streets and alleys — every household was busy producing kitchenware. People learned from and improved upon each other's work. The industry scale kept expanding, product varieties continuously enriched, and gradually, our products were sold across the country," said Wang Bingsen, president of the Shandong Kitchen Utensils Association. "By the early 1990s, there were over 100 households in Xingfu with an annual income exceeding 1 million yuan."

Local to global

Embracing the digital era, Xingfu's businesses have gone global, leveraging livestreaming e-commerce and cross-border platforms to reach users worldwide. The township is now home to over 200 e-commerce enterprises — generating an annual online transaction value surpassing 100 million yuan.

To solidify this global reach, Xingfu is strategically building a network of overseas warehouses. These logistics hubs allow businesses to connect directly with local distributors and consumers, enabling faster "click-and-deliver" transactions. Centered on Xingfu, Boxing county now operates eight specialized overseas warehouses for commercial kitchenware, with two more currently under construction.

The journey from handmade steamers to intelligent cooking robots, from the clang of family workshops to the quiet hum of automated factories, represents decades of relentless refinement. Xingfu has not only built a commercially successful industry but has also enriched communities worldwide — proving that its local craftsmanship truly caters to a global palate.

Xinhua