Toys at the Yiwu International Trade Market attract children on June 1. [Photo/Tide News]
Yiwu, a county-level city in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, renowned as the world's small commodity distribution center, accounts for 25 percent of global toy sales.
This bustling trade hub, paired with Chenghai district in South China's Guangdong province — the factory powerhouse producing one-third of the world's plastic toys — forms an indispensable duo in China's toy industry.
Despite being 1,000 kilometers apart, their collaboration fuels an "invisible toy highway" that sustains China's dominance in global toy manufacturing and exports, covering over 70 percent of the market.
Yiwu's rise began in 1982 when its first small commodity market opened, attracting merchants nationwide. Today, the Yiwu International Trade Market spans over 6 million square meters, hosting 75,000 stalls.
Cai Peifen is a Chenghai native who began to sell Chenghai-made toys in Yiwu in 2003. Her stall now sells 100 shipping containers of toys annually to countries like Russia and Poland.
At the Yiwu International Trade Market, over 1,000 stalls sell toys made in Chenghai. "Yiwu feeds Chenghai real-time trends; Chenghai turns ideas into products," said a representative from the Yiwu Chenghai Chamber of Commerce.
Facing complex global trade dynamics, Yiwu and Chenghai are innovating to stay ahead. Chenghai has pivoted to trendy and educational toys, while Yiwu is diversifying its markets.
In June 2024, the first 1688 Toy Selection Center of China was opened in Chenghai under the aegis of Alibaba, which houses more than 5,000 toy varieties from over 1,000 factories.
Mirroring Yiwu's market model, the center's fifth floor is reserved for Yiwu goods. "We have established preliminary cooperation with a Yiwu company. Chenghai's toys and Yiwu's small commodities will share the same cart in the future," said Huang Zeyang, the center's director.
With leading numbers of patents and toy companies with the China Compulsory Certification, Chenghai's industrial muscle complements Yiwu's agile market intelligence. The duo are now extending their synergies, connecting the "invisible toy highway" to more cities.
