Imported goods are shipped to Yiwu and delivered to cities across China. [Photo/WeChat account: yiwuwaishi]

Express delivery companies in Yiwu, Zhejiang province handled over 50.8 million parcels during China's Singles Day shopping festival on Nov 11, local media reported on Nov 13.

The number of parcels handled in Yiwu increased by 36.8 percent year on year and accounted for 7.5 percent of the national total of 675 million.

Local authorities estimated that from Nov 11 to 16, the city will handle over 203 million parcels, up 24.5 percent year on year.

During the peak shopping period, 583,000 orders were placed in a single second on Alibaba's business-to-customer platform Tmall, setting a new record. 

A total of 31,766 overseas brands offered goods on Alibaba's cross-border platforms during this period, with US-branded goods generating $5.39 billion in sales.

Workers sort boxes at the Yiwu Bonded Logistics Center. [Photo/zgyww.cn]

During the shopping festival, the Yiwu Bonded Logistics Center alone cleared over 3.34 million cross-border orders, up 159 percent year on year.

Yiwu boasts 35 e-commerce industrial parks and 168 e-commerce villages and is home to over 310,000 e-commerce professionals.

From Nov 1 to 11, 9,129 livestream sales activities were held, attracting over 30.31 million viewers.

E-commerce companies in Yiwu generated 14.72 billion yuan in trade, up 20.9 percent year on year. The three best-selling items were underwear, women's wear, and daily necessities.