Merchants browse kitchenware at an exhibition in Boxing, Shandong province, in October 2024. CHEN BIN/FOR CHINA DAILY

Forty years ago, Xingfu was a town defined by the autumn harvest and the exodus of migrant workers seeking a living elsewhere. Today, the flow has reversed. This tiny patch of land in Boxing county of Binzhou, Shandong province, spanning just 52 square kilometers — roughly the size of Manhattan — has transformed into a global manufacturing hub driven by the relentless energy of private enterprises.

Instead of skyscrapers, its landscape features a dense cluster of kitchen equipment billboards.

A worker processes stainless steel on a kitchenware production line in Boxing in February last year. [Photo provided to CHINA DAILY]

This unassuming town now produces over 40 percent of China's commercial kitchen equipment, generating more than 30 billion yuan ($4.39 billion) in annual output. It has turned local farmers into entrepreneurs, with products reaching over 60 countries and regions across Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia.

With 41,000 registered residents and over 40,000 migrant workers, Xingfu is a living testament to the private sector's capacity for massive employment generation.