Halloween is less than two weeks away and with November on the horizon, people will be in the holiday season mood in preparation for Christmas.

 

11月即将来临，万圣节也只有不到两个周，人们也怀着节日情绪开始准备圣诞节。

 

In the build up to December, merchandise at shopping malls will be showered under the Christmas lights, and festive¹ songs will be heard in every corner.

 

But for manufacturers in Yiwu, the city in east China's Zhejiang Province that produces two thirds of the world's Christmas decorations, the Christmas season begins in February when buyers around the world placed endless orders. 

 

Production will commence immediately after that, and the delivery of products are usually completed in October.

 

The dealer² price of a plastic tree ranges from 10 US dollars to over a hundred, yet that price will be at least three times higher when sold to customers.

 

The business is attractive for many, including the US which buys 90 percent of its Christmas items from China.

 

But things are changing. In September, the US imposed another 10 percent tariffs³ on 200 billion US dollars' worth of Chinese goods. 

 

That could drive up prices. According to a study by Kirill Borusyak at Princeton University and Xavier Jaravel at London School of Economics, the tariffs will cost each American family additional 127 US dollars per year.

点击收听单词发音