Lighter hub shines as world leader in production

Editor's Note: In a series of reports titled "Claims to Fame", China Daily looks at how some regions have earned wealth and recognition through specific products to realize the goal of rural vitalization.

Each year, around 20 billion lighters are sold around the world and 75 percent of them are made in Shaodong, Hunan province.

The lighters are sold to 120 countries and regions. If they were connected end-to-end, the chain could encircle the Earth more than 30 times, one industry expert said.

Over the years, the lighter companies in Shaodong have grown bigger and more automated, with their products and the industry upgrading constantly.

However, what has remained unchanged for 20 years is the price of the disposable lighters. They are almost always sold at 1 yuan ($0.14) each by retail stores, meaning the manufacturers can still make a profit despite inflation and rising costs.

Shaodong is a hilly region with only around 10 percent of flat land. The lack of arable land prompted local people to find other ways to make a living.

After the reform and opening-up policy was introduced in 1978, Shaodong people ventured into trading businesses, selling different types of small merchandise to customers around the country.

In 2022, Shaodong was ranked 92 among more than 2,844 county-level regions in the country in terms of manufacturing prowess. Lighters are the pillar industry of Shaodong, employing more than 80,000 people, roughly 7.6 percent of the total local population.

Bai Jiabao, deputy general manager of Hunan Dongyi Electric Share Co, the largest lighter manufacturer in Shaodong, said the company started making lighters in 1994. Today, it can produce 12 to 13 million lighters per day of more than 200 types. The lighters are sold for prices ranging from 0.3 yuan to 30 yuan each.

More than 80 percent of its lighters are exported overseas to over 100 countries and regions, he said.

Although the profit made from each lighter is low, the company can still make money and stay competitive through investing in automation and upgrading the supply chain, he said.

While its cheapest lighters are sold for 0.3 yuan each, Bai said the company can make about 10 percent profit thanks to the use of automation.

The company started to invest in automation in 2013 and has spent around 60 to 70 million yuan in research and development in the sector.

The use of automation has helped Hunan Dongyi Electric Share increase its production capacity 20-fold, Bai said. While it used to employ more than 4,000 people to make around 1 million lighters a day, it now can produce more than 10 million with half the number of employees, he said.

"As a cheap and convenient source for fire, lighters cannot be replaced by any other tools and I am proud to work in this industry," Bai said.