Objective To evaluate the effect of elite small training mode in capacity building for general practitioners in Yiwu city. Methods The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine worked with Yiwu Health Bureau, and held the first training class for general practitioners from December 6th in 2018 to April 5th in 2019.The mode of elite small-class was adopted.Theoretical assessment was carried out for trainees before and after the training and discussion was conducted after the training.Descriptive analysis of quantitative data and thematic analysis of qualitative data were carried out. Results The trainees′ theoretical performance had been significantly improved after 4 months of theoretical learning and clinical rotation.The average score of the theoretical performance was increased from 66.94 to 72.59. Conclusions It was preliminarily found that the elite small-class training mode was suitable for the training of general practitioners in rural areas.Government support and trainee selection are key to training outcomes. Key words: Health manpower; General practitioners; Training; Primary medical institutions; Yiwu city