Storyline Sales of winter sports gear heat up in world's capital of small commodities [Voice_over] As winter tightens its icy grip across much of the Northern Hemisphere, merchants at east China's Yiwu City- the "global capital of small commodities"- are seeing a sharp increase in demand for winter sports gear. From helmets to ice skates to ski goggles, cold-weather sports equipment and supplies are some of the hottest sellers this season, with orders pouring in from both home and abroad. [Sound_bite] Foreign buyer: "It's good material, good price, good lens." [Sound_bite] Zheng Zhihao, merchant, Yiwu International Trade Market: "Sales are good. Orders from Russia are larger, and we also export to Europe and South America. Domestic skiing organizations buy from us as well." [Voice_over] To keep up with the avalanche of demand, winter sports equipment factories in the region are kicking production into high gear. This company, for example, only started making ski goggles seven years ago, but says business has been snowballing ever since. [Sound_bite] Wang Jidie, staff member, winter sports gear manufacturer in Zhejiang Province: "Our output of ski goggles was about one million units last year. This year, it has increased by around 20 percent to 1.2 million." [Voice_over] According to a recent report released by China's General Administration of Sport, the total market value of the nation's winter sports industry reached 137 billion U.S. dollars last year. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]