China's Invisible Megacities: Linyi, Yiwu, and More

Logosofia no Dia a Dia · May 16, 2026 · 33m

You know Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen. But what about Linyi—an 11-million-person logistics hub that ships your cheap online orders? Or Yiwu, the tiny city that produces 60% of the world's Christmas decorations? This episode explores China's "invisible megacities": second- and third-tier urban centers with populations that would make them the largest city in most European countries, yet remain almost totally obscure outside China. We break down the Yicai tier system, visit manufacturing clusters that dominate global supply chains (wigs from Xuchang, ceramic tiles from Foshan, cigarette…