From January to August, 4.07 billion packages were delivered via express services in Yiwu, Zhejiang province, up 50.6 percent year on year, according to data released by the municipal post bureau on July 14.

This is the second most (after Guangzhou) among all cities in China and generated 11.85 billion yuan ($175. billion) in business revenue, up 28.4 percent year on year.

In addition, around 38.6 million overseas packages were delivered, down 1.7 percent year on year due to the COVID-19.

An increasing number of firms in fields such as cosmetics and textiles in Yiwu have arisen in response to the "new normal" of living with the epidemic.

A train loaded with 100 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) of daily necessities, Christmas articles, and other goods departed from Yiwu on Sept 2, heading for the Belarussian capital of Minsk.

It was the 529th China-Europe freight train to leave the city since Jan 1.

Statistics from the train service operator Yiwu Tianmeng Industrial Investment Co Ltd show that China-Europe freight trains departing from Yiwu have delivered a total of 43,802 TEUs of cargo this year, a year-on-year increase of 186.5 percent.

Yiwu is currently leading China's express delivery industry thanks to its many e-commerce merchants and strong business environment, said a spokesperson for the municipal post bureau.