Visitors get a kick out of Jinhua

As well as the sepak takraw and football competitions of the 19th Asian Games, the city has plenty to offer away from the arena

To the south of Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, lies Jinhua, a city of seven million inhabitants.

Standing in the center of Zhejiang province and connecting neighboring Jiangxi, Fujian and Anhui provinces, Jinhua has historically been an important port along the Xin'an River and a key commercial center in the region.

During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, Jinhua once served as a crucial trading post through which salt and silk were sold to neighboring provinces, and lacquer and porcelain were imported.

In modern times, the enterprising spirit of the locals has made the name of Jinhua far more widely known.

Yiwu, a county-level city with a permanent population of a little more than 1.86 million and often dubbed the "world's capital for small commodities", is under the administration of Jinhua.

Figures from Yiwu's commerce bureau show that the city sells more than 2.1 million types of products, ranging from daily use items to sports-related goods, to over 230 countries and regions, with some 65 percent of its goods designated for export.

In fact, much of the merchandise sold during the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou is made in Yiwu.

As a co-host city of the ongoing Games, among the sports Jinhua will host is sepak takraw and football.