STORY: Chinese toy store sees influx of Southeast Asian buyers
SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 10, 23, 24, 2025
DATELINE: Jan. 27, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:05
LOCATION: SHANGHAI, China
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Pop Mart's global flagship store in Shanghai
2. various of customers at Pop Mart store
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MEAW, Tourist from Thailand
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): IVY, Tourist from Thailand
5. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): BEN, Tourist from Indonesia
6. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): LOVIE, Tourist from Malaysia

STORYLINE:

Riding on the wave of "China Travel," Pop Mart, a Chinese toy brand known for its blind boxes, has won favorites from Southeast Asian buyers.

Pop Mart's global flagship store located on Nanjing Road in Shanghai has witnessed an influx of visitors from Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia to purchase collectibles that are hard to get in their countries.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MEAW, Tourist from Thailand
"This is so cute. You bought it for yourself? Yeah, for me. In Thailand, it's very popular. Many people must queue up for open shop, many people."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): IVY, Tourist from Thailand
"How do you know about Pop Mart? From Xiaohongshu (Chinese social app Rednote). Which one is your favorite? Labubu, actually. 
They are all sold out already (in Thailand). Everyone is asking for it. All sold out. Yeah. That's why you are coming here? Yeah."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): BEN, Tourist from Indonesia
"How do you know about this? Well, social media. It's good quality. It's good. We have one at home, and she wants to have another one."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): LOVIE, Tourist from Malaysia
"I'm boxing the blind box and collecting all the series."

Shanghai recorded over 6.7 million inbound tourist trips in 2024, an 84 percent increase from the previous year, partly thanks to the country's loosening visa policies.

Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia were the top three source countries with the fastest-growing tourist numbers.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Shanghai, China.
(XHTV)