Crunch time in Santa's China workshop

Yiwu, China

WITH Christmas looming, it's crunch time in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Yiwu, which has earned a reputation as Santa's "real" workshop.

In Sun Xudan's artificial Christmas tree factory, workers cut and twist long ropes of fake "branches" into simulated pines destined for homes and public holiday displays. It's a nearly year-round operation in Yiwu, which has been estimated as the source of at least 60 per cent of Christmas trinkets worldwide.