Tmall Taobao C-Mall Event: Rural Taobao Shines with Containers

During the 2018 Double 11 shopping festival, agricultural products worth as much as $625,000,000 moved from the countryside to the dining table—but hot sales of farm goods were only a one-way link from rural areas to cities. Rural Taobao is turning that connection into a two-way street. On the eve of Double 11, Tmall Youpin's Big Brand Day launched in 11 county and rural markets including Liuyang, Hunan. The offline format known as "C-Mall" (a mobile brand experience pavilion) is bringing urban products and lifestyles into this "other half of China" that merchants once overlooked.

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In first- and second-tier cities, offline events cover only a limited area; people usually join when they happen to pass by. "When you enter county and rural markets, the picture is completely different—many people make a special trip just to take part." That once-unfamiliar commercial "frontier" became Rural Taobao's target market. This pop-up used shipping containers as the vehicle; the novel format drew large crowds.

Each brand remodeled containers into flash-sale carriages with distinct styles that matched its own character. Leading urban brands such as Unilever, Slek, Osmond, Roewe, and Junlebao followed Rural Taobao offline to offer upgraded interactive experiences for local consumers. At the Slek pavilion, guests could try hairstyle makeovers and brand-customized shampoo and styling; Junlebao used VR to explain milk sources and teach scientific formula mixing; Osmond offered makeup trials and photo services for women shoppers.

Converted containers are especially convenient to set out: they are finished in the factory, then shipped to the site and assembled quickly. That brings two advantages—lower carbon buildup, and less disruption on complex sites—helping ease the serious energy-saving and emissions challenges facing today's construction industry.

Advantages of modular integrated buildings

Like building with Lego, modular integrated construction prefabricates some or all components in a factory, then ships them to the job site for assembly. "Assembly" is more than simply stacking: after prefabricated parts arrive, they go through fastening and reinforcement so the finished structure is stable and safe. As a distinctive structural form, houses assembled on site from factory-made box-like volumetric modules had already formed a box-building system in Switzerland in the 1950s. Since the new millennium, modular and other prefabricated buildings have spread more widely in the West. There is no love without a reason—why are these developed economies so keen on modular construction?

1. High prefabrication, short build cycle

Container spaces reach the highest level of engineering prefabrication. After design and production, whole units ship to the site for mechanized installation and fast assembly. The full design-and-build cycle is far shorter than traditional buildings of the same scale, and completion dates can be predicted and controlled reliably.

2. Scaled assembly-line production, lower manufacturing cost

Containers are completed on factory production lines with strict quality control and high efficiency, enabling scaled output and effective cost control for better economic returns.

3. Strong modular functions, wide applications

Based on different needs, containers can be designed as offices, living quarters, lobbies, bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, gyms, clinics, laundry rooms, storage rooms, and many other functional units.

4. High safety, strong durability

Container frame strength is verified on dedicated mechanical test beds. The structure is safe and reliable, with a long service life and strong resistance to earthquakes, compression, heat loss, noise, fire, water, snow, and wind. Permanent or semi-permanent buildings can be built for different regions, sectors, and uses.

5. Flexible combinations, strong livability

Containers are usually combined. Different layouts create distinct architectural spaces and visual effects. Modular units that our company can produce on a flow line now reach up to 16,154 mm long, 4,600 mm wide, and 3,300 mm high—covering virtually all module sizes needed worldwide and giving designers greater flexibility. Exterior and interior finishes can be customized for better livability.

6. Strong whole-unit performance, easy to dismantle and move

Container space modules perform well as complete units and move easily by road, rail, and sea. Compared with other prefabricated houses, they cut the time and cost of bulk packing, unpacking, and reassembly.

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