By the end of 2000, China had 153,93 wholesale corporate enterprise above the norm (wholesale enterprises above the norm refer to enterprises with annual sale exceeding 20 million yuan and employees of more than 20.). Of them, 9,317 were State-owned enterprises, 2,406 were collectively-owned enterprises, and 560 were private enterprises.

The top five regions in number of state-owned wholesale enterprises above the norm were: Guangdong Province, 988; Beijing, 617; Shandong, 590; Zhejiang Province, 542; and Jiangsu, 529. State-owned corporate enterprises in other regions: Tianjin Municipality, 170; Hebei Province, 416; Shanxi Province, 259; Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 157; Liaoning Province, 455; Jilin Province, 197; Heilongjiang Province, 278; Shanghai Municipality, 146; Anhui Province, 289; Fujian Province, 442; Jiangxi Province, 271; Henan province, 472; Hubei Province, 403; Hunan Province, 347; Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, 275; Hainan Province, 46; Chongqing Municipality, 126; Sichuan Province, 279; Guizhou Province, 137; Yunnan Province, 370; Tibet Autonomous Region, 7; Shaanxi Province, 210; Gansu province, 100; Qinghai Province, 37; Ningxia Hui Autonomous Regions, and 48; and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, 114.

By end of 2000, the top five regions in number of privately-owned wholesale enterprises were Fujian, 136; Zhejiang, 109; Guangdong, 57; Beijing, 53; and Shandong, 37. Privately-owned wholesale corporate enterprises in other regions: Tianjin, 3; Hebei, 6; Shanxi, 2; Inner Mongolia, 6; Liaoning, 25; Jilin, 1; Heilongjiang, 4; Shanghai, 15; Jiangsu, 18; anhui, 3; Jiangxi, 0; Henan, 19, Hubei, 4; Hunan, 4; Guangxi, 2; Hainan, 8; Chongqing, 9; Sichuan, 10; Guizhou, 1; Yunnan, 12; Tibet, 0; Shaanxi, 2; Gansu, 4; Qinghai, 1; Ningxia, 4; Xinjiang, 5.

There were 7,728 markets conducting wholesales of comprehensive products, farm and farm sideline products and industrial consumer goods in China in 2000, an increase of 595 over the 7,133 in the previous year. Of them, 4,237 were in the urban areas, 306 more than the 3,967 in the previous year, and 3,455 were in the rural areas, an increase of 289 over the 3,166 in the previous year. The total transaction volume of the markets reached 1051.8 billion in 2000, up 16.6 percent on the year-on-year basis, including 737.7 billion yuan by urban markets, up 15.8 percent, and 314.1 billion yuan by the rural markets, up 18.7 percent. Of the 7,728 markets, 735 were comprehensive wholesale markets, generating 131.8 billion yuan in transaction volume in 2000, 2,416 were industrial consumer goods wholesale markets, realizing 584.9 billion yuan in transaction volume, and 4,532 were farm and farm sideline products wholesale markets, making 335.1 billion yuan in transacting volume.

By the end of 2001, China boasted 3,273 wholesale markets each with an annual transaction volume of more than 100 million yuan, and more than 40 wholesale markets each with an annual transaction volume exceeding 5 billion yuan. The country's 10 major commodity wholesale markets were: The Zhejiang China Small Commodity Town, the Zhejiang Shaoxing China Light Industry and Textiles Town, the Hanzhengjie Small Commodity Wholesale Market, the Liaoning Shenyang Wu'ai Small Commodity Wholesale Market, the Hebei Shijiazhuang Xinhua Trade Center, the Shandong Qilu Chemical Industry Commercial Town, the Liaoning Haicheng Market Xiliu Garment Market, the Shanghai Fengjin Commercial Town, the Hebei Nan Santiao Small Commodity Wholesale Market, and the Guangdong Xijiao Light Industry and Textiles Town. Each of the ten has an annual transaction volume of more than 10 billion yuan.

Characteristics of wholesale markets in China:

-- Uneven regional distribution. In 2000, China has 3,087 wholesale markets each with transaction volume exceeding 100 million yuan, of which 1,957 were located in 10 eastern coastal areas, accounting for 63.4 percent of the total, 723 were in the 11 provinces of central China, 23.4 percent of the total, and 407 were in 10 provinces of western China, 13.2 percent of the total. Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong, Hebei, Zhejiang and Liaoning had 1,669 wholesale markets each with transaction volume of 100 million yuan, accounting 54.1 percent of the national total.

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