Dubai's Dragon Mart taking final shape

Dragon Mart, one of the largest trading hubs for products from China being developed outside the Chinese mainland, is taking its final shape at the International City development of Nakheel, in the Al Warsan area in Dubai. The 1.2 km long dragon shaped structure is a permanent exhibition space comprising showrooms and business facilities including: post offices, meeting and negotiation rooms, full commercial and general services and will assemble the most exhaustive collection of Chinese products under one roof.

The development, which is being jointly promoted by Nakheel and Chinamex Middle East Investment and Trade Promotion Centre, is spread over an area of 150,000 square meters in addition to 30,000 square meters of warehouses. It will host Chinese businesses or businesses associated with products and services from China, including joint venture companies and companies  operating from China through the Chinamex Middle East Investment and Trade Promotion Centre.

Sultan Ahmad Bin Sulayem, Chairman, Nakheel, said, "The international market cannot ignore the 'China Effect', where the products and services from mainland China compete with that of the other countries, price-wise and quality-wise on a global scale. The Dragon Mart is Nakheel's acknowledgment of China's influence in international trade and commerce and will create a space for traders and entrepreneurs from the mainland to offer their services to the lucrative Middle East markets."

The Mart is divided into several commercial areas, which will host a wide variety of Chinese products and commodities, including, textile and garments, food and groceries, household and electric appliances, interior decoration, home furnishing, arts and craft, chemical products, sports and leisure accessories, electronics and lifestyle products. The development will also host food courts with Chinese restaurants and other tourism interests for visitors to sample Chinese heritage and culture.

The work on the Dragon Mart is proceeding, paving the way for the development to be opened for business as early as the end of 2004. The epi-structure of the project is finished with the work on the interiors being almost complete. A sculpture representing Chinamex logo designed exclusively by Chinamex will form the centrepiece of the fountain facing the main entrance of the Mart. The interior of the Dragon Mart body will host vast exhibition spaces divided into six zones, each of which is further divided into four exhibition areas. Between every two consecutive show areas there is an open space, covered by a large tent around 17 meters high, with a total of 11 tents spread across the entire structure to represent the spine of the dragon. The body of the dragon measures around 980 meters long and 110 metres wide and around 6.4 metres high. The two-storeyed Dragonhead measures around 220 metres in length and 210 metres in width and 18 metres in height will have a full-fledged Chinese Garden on the ground level.

"The Dragon Mart has demonstrated Nakheel's ability to understand and dissect emerging market and business trends, and to offer the right infrastructure solutions for business activity and excellence," said bin Sulayem. "The Dragon Mart on completion will be the centre of business activity in the Middle East for Chinese businesses. The project is also a realisation of the longstanding relationship between the Chinese government, the expatriate Chinese community and the UAE."

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