Nanning’s building materials market is showing signs of resurgence.

In 2004, the China–ASEAN Expo was permanently based in Nanning. Openness and cooperation oriented toward ASEAN have enabled this “Green City” to write a vibrant chapter of harmonious win‑win outcomes and grand momentum. Over the past nine years, as a frontline city and strategic bridgehead for China’s engagement with ASEAN, Nanning has leveraged its role as host of the China–ASEAN Expo to proactively plan industrial development, steadily bolstering the city’s overall economic strength; to more vigorously upgrade urban infrastructure, fostering an enabling environment and favorable conditions for China–ASEAN cooperation; to more actively harness the “Nanning Channel,” building bridges and platforms that facilitate exchanges and collaboration between China and ASEAN; and to deepen openness and cooperation with ASEAN member states, thereby significantly advancing Nanning’s comprehensive economic and social development. Once a relatively remote corner of the country, Nanning now stands as the core city of the Guangxi Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and a key gateway for China’s engagement with ASEAN, increasingly drawing global attention.

In recent years, Nanning City has firmly leveraged the China–ASEAN Expo as a platform for cooperation, integrating its industrial development into the broader ASEAN regional framework. By comprehensively assessing the ASEAN market’s resource endowments, logistics costs, labor costs, and market potential, Nanning has actively explored new models of industrial development, promoted industrial transformation and upgrading, optimized its industrial structure, and accelerated the cultivation of regionally competitive industrial strengths.

As Nanning’s economy accelerates and its real estate sector continues to expand, the building materials industry is also experiencing rapid growth. Earlier this month, a reporter from Tu Ying Tian Xia visited Nanning’s building‑materials markets to gain an in-depth understanding of the local coatings industry’s development. Upon arriving in Nanning, the first impression was that there are more than a dozen large and small building‑materials markets—seemingly excessive, given the city’s size. In reality, four or five well‑stocked, comprehensive building‑materials centers would be entirely sufficient.

The distribution of these markets is also rather impractical. Near the express ring road, there are already several major markets—Kuaihuan, Changwang, Dajiahui, and Nanda·Health Home (under construction)—while Wantailong, Tiandi Yuan, and Dashanghui are all located not far away. Before its demolition, the Huqiu Building Materials Market even stood right next to the Mingxiu Building Materials Market. Moreover, most of these markets are small in scale, offer an insufficient variety of home‑goods products, and lack clear planning. In cities with well‑thought‑out urban planning, one market is typically established in each designated district, with one or two additional markets added in densely populated areas.

The chaotic situation has intensified competition among Nanning’s building‑materials markets, leading to customer attrition and leaving most of them rather sluggish. Against the backdrop of a generally tepid market environment, this trend has become even more pronounced. Going forward, the building‑materials sector will undergo a major reshuffling, with only the fittest surviving; correspondingly, some markets will either disappear or pivot to new business models. For instance, the Tiandi Yuan Building Materials Market is already showing signs of transforming into a timber and steel marketplace.

Moreover, driven by the market’s rapid growth, local regulatory oversight has failed to keep pace, allowing counterfeit building‑material products to proliferate and inflicting substantial losses on many law‑abiding businesses. As coatings are semi‑finished products, many consumers have very limited knowledge of them; confronted with a wide array of fake and substandard goods, they find it difficult to distinguish genuine from counterfeit, thereby posing a significant risk to consumer safety.

As a burgeoning city renowned for its economy, culture, and livability, Nanning relies on coatings as an indispensable element in enhancing the aesthetic appeal of residential environments. Accordingly, many forward-thinking professionals in the coatings industry have shared their perspectives.

Exploring the Path of Tu Mou in Guangxi

Li Yuandong, General Manager of Guangxi Hongtai Door Industry Co., Ltd.

Li Yuandong explained: In line with the evolving trends in the door industry, Hongtai Door Industry has established its headquarters in the Nanning–ASEAN Economic Development Zone in China and forged strong ties with the Southeast Industrial Park in Wuyi, Zhejiang, enabling it to deliver Hongtai doors to markets worldwide. Guided by the business philosophy of “surviving through quality, building a brand, and expanding through development,” Hongtai Door Industry is pursuing a strategic vision centered on “industrialized operations, market‑driven management, professional services, systematic administration, and group‑based development.” With sincere unity, a spirit of innovation, and people‑oriented management, the company is tirelessly striving to successfully enter the global marketplace. To date, Hongtai Door Industry’s notable success stories include projects such as the Liuzhou Party School, Guangxi Vocational College of Water Resources and Electric Power, Guangxi Daily Press, Guangxi Transportation Design Building, Nanning Rhein Lakeside, Taiwan’s Uni-President Enterprises, Inner Mongolia Yili Industrial Group Co., Ltd., and the Guiyang Municipal Government Administrative Center, among others.

After more than a year of preparation, in 2013 Hongtai Door Industry established its chain headquarters at the Nanning Kuaihuan Building Materials Market—a state-of-the-art, nearly 2,000-square-meter professional building‑materials experience center. The opening of Hongtai’s marketing and franchising headquarters offers customers convenient, one‑stop door‑shopping services, marking a key step in Hongtai’s mission to become the “Suning” or “Gome” of the door industry. With an experienced marketing and business team, Hongtai provides robust support for sales growth and market expansion. Upholding the philosophy that “service is more important than sales,” Hongtai is committed to delivering top‑notch after‑sales service and striving to become a leading brand in the door industry across Guangxi and throughout China.

We believe that Nanning, a small to medium-sized city in southwestern China tucked away in the far corner of the region, will soon become the largest hub for building materials, home furnishings, and door‑related industries in the entire Southwest!