MANAMA, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The Dragon City, a large wholesale and retail trading center in northern Bahrain, has long served as a market for commercial and cultural bonding between the kingdom and China since established in 2015.

Located in Diyar Al Muharraq, one of the new residential projects in Bahrain, the Dragon City has been dedicated to promoting Bahrain-China closeness in various aspects.

Visitors of the mall always feel that they are in the heart of China with its distinguished architecture and high presence of Chinese merchants and workers.

Rahal Al Rifaee, a Bahraini businessman in the Dragon City, told Xinhua "the work environment is filled with mutual respect between local merchants and their Chinese counterparts, which help attract visitors from Bahrain and neighboring countries to the city."

Rahal expressed his happiness to work in Chinese culture atmospheres, while considering his branch in the Dragon City the most important one among other branches in different parts of Bahrain, because of the popularity of the mall for its special products and friendly environment.

Lyyn Tongyi, who has been working in the Dragon City since its establishment, said to Xinhua that the friendly environment is the reason that makes him continue working in the same job.

Inaugurated by Bahrain's Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Dragon City was formed as a private sector initiative with a budget of 100 million U.S. dollars and government support.

With the past few years, the city has succeeded to become a tourist destination for Bahrainis and visitors from neighboring countries who are seeking exciting and unique shopping experience.

Dragon City is the first of its kind that hosts over 787 commercial units, making it the largest wholesale and retail trading center in Bahrain. It is infused with Chinese architecture and culture and offers Chinese products of the highest quality to local consumers, traders and tourists.

Shaikha Ghanem, a Bahraini retired teacher, is a regular visitor to the Dragon City because she lives close to the market which offers different products with affordable prices.

"I can find all I need from the domestic tools to clothes and shoes. I go there with my children to buy some smart phone accessories they needed," said Ghanem.

Ghanem thought dealing with the Chinese workers who don't speak Arabic isn't a problem anymore, as the workers had overtime gained the required skills to deal with local consumers and Arab visitors.

The mall is divided to four sections, each with a different color that reflects its products.

The red color is allocated for clothes and children toy shops, the green color for shops selling construction equipment and yellow for electronics and accessories, while blue is for shops selling lights and other services.

According to Chinamex Bahrain, a company responsible for operating the market, the total value of Bahraini imports from China in 2019 exceeded 150 million U.S. dollars.

General Manager of Chinamex Bahrain Patrick Zheng told Xinhua that this figure is considered a large one in comparison with commercial centers in Bahrain.

"The mall is playing two major roles, retailer and wholesaler. Many clients are purchasing products from the market and then resell them in their local markets as well as the neighboring countries," Zheng said, adding that there are several shops inside the city helping ship the products.

"Now, thanks to Dragon City, people are no longer required to travel such a long distance (to China) to import goods, as the city has been covering the majority of their needs," Zheng noted.

The company provides support to the traders and customers at Dragon City. "Our role is to ensure each business operating inside the city is a huge success, while each customer enjoys a unique shopping experience," he clarified.

"Dragon City has been launched in light of the local authorities' desire to bolster trade between both countries, thus all the required facilities have been provided, and all the routes have been paved for Chinese businessmen to extend their activities to Bahrain," Zheng concluded, while expressing welcome to local traders. Enditem

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