How a Rural County in China Became the Crystal Capital of the World

Have you ever wondered

where crystals like this actually come from?

You might know that many of them grow naturally

in Africa and South America.

This yellow crystal, for example, is actually from Tanzania.

But before they're sold to people all around the world,

millions of raw crystals passed through this one place,

which is called Donghai,

it's known as the Crystal Capital of China.

I went there last year.

One crystal warehouse I visited

was filled with hundreds of gigantic amethyst geodes,

which had all been imported from Uruguay.

There are many places like this in Donghai.

About 300,000 people

or a quarter of all local residents work

in the crystal industry.

They're dealers, wholesalers, livestreamers, gemologists,

crystal cutters, factory managers, and exporters.

So how did this random rural county in China turn itself

into the Crystal Capital of the World?

Western leaders often say

that China became the world's factory

by exploiting cheap labor and distorting global markets.

But what I saw in Donghai tells a really different story.

After talking to many local residents and experts,

I learned that China's industrial rise

didn't really begin in Beijing,

it started in rural villages,

in parts of the country like Donghai,

at a moment when hundreds of millions of people

were desperate to escape poverty.

And they saw global capitalism as a way to get out.

Quartz does naturally occur here.

Fun fact, the crystal coffin that holds Mao Zedong's body

was actually mined in Donghai.

But a few decades ago,

so many people were trying to dig up quartz

that the road started to collapse

and houses were sinking into the ground.

So the government cracked down unauthorized mining,

and eventually, people from Donghai started traveling

all around the world to source crystals.

They went to Brazil, Madagascar, Colombia, you name it.

Then, over the last few years, livestreaming on TikTok

has massively taken off in Donghai.

By the end of 2022,

crystals had become one of the best selling products

on TikTok Shop globally,

and sellers in Donghai drove a huge share of that trade.

This place didn't become a crystal mecca,

because of some sort of central plan,

but because of this really all-consuming hustle mentality

that the local people have.

There's many towns like Donghai all across China,

they specialize in all sorts of different products.

You can read my full story on WIRED.com.

You can also subscribe to the newsletter I co-write,

which is called Made In China.