China's toy sector is experiencing strong growth momentum, with export volumes rising continuously, supported by increasing global recognition and preference for Chinese intellectual property (IP). Boasting 60 percent of the global toy market share, Chenghai District in Shantou City, south China's Guangdong Province -- known as China's "Toy Capital" -- generates massive overseas orders for China annually. This year, the district has been exceptionally busy. Though it's not the traditional peak export season, local manufacturers have remained actively engaged in fulfilling orders recently. Overseas clients, particularly those in the Southeast Asian market, are showing unprecedented interest in new releases, according to a manager of a toy exhibition hall in the district, where over 10,000 different toy varieties are on display, with one-third being new products launched this year. The manager said that as toys featuring Chinese cultural elements gain popularity, product development cycles for related IPs have accelerated by nearly half compared to last year. "Overseas market competition has intensified significantly. Therefore, continuous innovation and product updates are essential for securing more orders and expanding market share. Our ongoing research and development in products, including guochao (China-chic) mecha robots, have generated steady order flows from clients. New products often sell out immediately after launch, followed by sustained reorders," said Chen Yihuang, international sales director of Sluban, a Chenghai-based toy company. While new toy launches accelerate, manufacturers are also expanding their global reach. Guangdong Yuxing Technology Industrial Co., Ltd., another toy company in Chenghai District that traditionally focused on European and American markets, has responded to this year's market slowdown by strategically pivoting toward emerging markets while deepening its understanding of segmented consumer demand in existing markets. "This year presented challenges, but our expansion into new markets in Africa and the Middle East has compensated for slower growth elsewhere. Interestingly, we've observed American customers prefer toy ships while Europeans tend to choose car models. We're continuously studying market preferences and developing targeted solutions," said Xie Weichun, general manager of the company. Beyond market expansion, toy companies are optimizing their supply chain management. A notable example of this push is the adoption of smart warehouses. At one such facility in Shantou, a team of 20 Sluban robots has taken over sorting and packaging tasks for 80,000 different types of toy bricks. Huang Hanqun, Suban’s marketing manager, said the company has seen consistently growing order volumes this year, with an average of tens of millions of toy bricks being produced and processed every day. This surge in scale presents a significant challenge for storage and distribution, a challenge that the robotic systems are effectively designed to address. "The robots bring two major advantages. First, they minimize errors. Under effective programming, the robots achieve a much higher degree of operational accuracy. Second, they boost our overall efficiency by enabling continuous 24/7 operation," said Huang. Customs data showed that China exported over 50 billion yuan (about 7.03 billion U.S. dollars) worth of festive goods, dolls, and animal-shaped toys during the first three quarters this year to more than 200 countries and regions. Many China-made products featuring Chinese cultural themes have become international hits, emerging as a new highlight in the country's exports. SHOTLIST: Shantou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Recent 1. Various of workers packing products; boxes of goods; 2. Various of toys; 3. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Chen Yihuang, international sales director, Sluban (starting with shot 2/partially overlaid with shot 4): "Overseas market competition has intensified significantly. Therefore, continuous innovation and product updates are essential for securing more orders and expanding market share. Our ongoing research and development in products, including guochao (or China-chic) mecha robots, have generated steady order flows from clients. New products often sell out immediately after launch, followed by sustained reorders."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 4. Toy; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 5. Various of toys; 6. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Xie Weichun, general manager, Guangdong Yuxing Technology Industrial Co., Ltd. (partially overlaid with shots 7-8): "This year presented challenges, but our expansion into new markets in Africa and the Middle East has compensated for slower growth elsewhere. Interestingly, we've observed American customers prefer toy ships while Europeans tend to choose car models. We're continuously studying market preferences and developing targeted solutions."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 7. Toy; 8. Various of toy; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] 9. Various of designer working; screen showing toy; 10. Various of robots working; toy bricks; 11. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Huang Hanqun, marketing manager, Sluban (ending with shot 12): "The robots bring two major advantages. First, they minimize errors. Under effective programming, the robots achieve a much higher degree of operational accuracy. Second, they boost our overall efficiency by enabling continuous 24-hour operation."; 12. Robots working; 13. Various of workers handling products; conveyor belt. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]