Qiaotou () is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

of western

Yongjia County Yongjia County (; Wenzhou dialect: yon2ko1/ yu3 ''ion ko'') is a county in Wenzhou in the southeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China, located north of the city proper of Wenzhou Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou �y33 ...

in southern

Zhejiang Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...

province, China, on the northern (left) shore of the Ou River, located upstream from

Wenzhou Wenzhou (pronounced ; Wenzhounese: Yuziou �y33–11 tɕiɤu33–32 ), historically known as Wenchow is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Zhejiang province in the People's Republic of China. Wenzhou is located at the extreme south east ...

. Qiaotou is known as the "button capital of the world" since, , the town produces 60 around percent of the world's supply of clothing

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, o ...

s. In addition, the town makes 80 percent of the world's

zipper A zipper, zip, fly, or zip fastener, formerly known as a clasp locker, is a commonly used device for binding together two edges of fabric or other flexible material. Used in clothing (e.g. jackets and jeans), luggage and other bags, camping ...

s. Qiaotou manufactures 15 billion buttons and 200 million meters of zippers a year and is the site of the China Qiaotou Button City trade center. The nearest major highway is the G1513 Wenzhou–Lishui Expressway, located just south of the town centre.

References

External links

"The tiger's teeth" from ''The Guardian'' on Qiaotou's button industry"Chinese 'Button Town' Struggles with Success" from ''Morning Edition'' on NPR
Towns of Zhejiang Yongjia County {{Zhejiang-geo-stub