From January to April, exports amounted to 3.29 billion yuan! Yinzhou Cultural and Creative Industry uses original design to 'heal' overseas adults

The picture shows Ningbo Yisida Board Game Co., Ltd. participating in the exhibition.

On May 21st, the reporter visited the production workshop of Ningbo Shida Industrial and saw workers carefully embedding a spring into a round and cute "squirrel" body. This squirrel is actually a stapler - its tail is designed to press the handle, and its round body is a nail storage compartment. After assembly, each unit must undergo a bounce test to ensure that the pressing is crisp and clean. In a few days, this batch of staplers will cross the ocean and be placed on supermarket shelves in Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
Having been deeply involved in the cultural and creative industry for over 20 years, Shida Industrial has emerged from the quagmire of low price competition through original design. They have established a global design network in multiple locations, gathering 200 designers and iterating tens of thousands of new products every year.
After working for a long time, the company has discovered an interesting change: these cute stationery items are no longer exclusive to children. More and more adults are buying it and putting it on their desks, seeking a moment of healing amidst their busy schedules. Stationery is quietly becoming a 'stress reliever'.
In the past, when it came to cultural and creative industries, I always thought it was for children. However, in recent years, the proportion of adult customers in overseas orders has rapidly increased, "said Sun Guohui, the general manager of Shida Industrial." What they sell is not functionality, but emotions. Adults need that 'healing moment' more than children. "Focusing on the needs of global consumers, Shida Industrial leveraged differentiated markets with original designs - from January to April this year, Shida Industrial's export volume increased by 83.4% year-on-year, and its own brand's market share in Australian supermarkets exceeded 50%.
The wave of 'adults also need childlike innocence' has been steadily caught by board game companies in Ningbo.
Entering the exhibition hall of Ningbo Yisida Board Game Co., Ltd., well-known IP authorized board games such as Harry Potter, Marvel, The Lord of the Rings are displayed, with excellent workmanship and exquisite design. Board games, once regarded as "children's toys", are now exported to more than 20 countries and regions around the world, and the largest buyer group is no longer children.
Our audience has shifted from children to urban white-collar workers, seasoned gamers, and social experts, "said Du Weiwei, the general manager of Yisida." The demand for overseas adults to play board games has surged, and they long to escape workplace fatigue and enhance social connections through games. "From logical reasoning to strategic planning, Yisida's board games are both fun and challenging. The popular game 'Revenge of the Gods' tests teamwork, while' Burgundy Castle 'received a 9.2 rating overseas for its high strategic approach. From January to April 2026, Yisida's export value exceeded 48 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 66.7%, ranking among the top 20 board game manufacturers in the world.
Cultural and creative industries cannot go abroad without the escort of customs. Ningbo Customs relies on the "Pro Qing Direct Train · Enterprise Needs Customs Response" mechanism to provide dedicated coordinators for enterprises, offering full cycle services such as policy promotion, compliance guidance, and customs clearance convenience. Optimize the inspection process, shorten the clearance time, strengthen compliance guidance, and continuously help enterprises prevent risks and solve problems. Ningbo enterprises have shifted from traditional manufacturing to innovation driven, with significantly improved research and development capabilities. They are able to quickly adjust their production structure to keep up with market trends, not only adapting to demand, but also leading the industry, "said Hong Fangzhou, head of the inspection department of Yinzhou Customs under Ningbo Customs." Our customs has also simultaneously built a full chain service system from research and development and production to customs clearance and export, providing strong guarantees for enterprises to fulfill orders
According to Ningbo Customs statistics, from January to April this year, the cultural product exports of Yinzhou District amounted to 3.29 billion yuan, accounting for 31.2% of the total cultural product exports of the city. With innovative formats and precise positioning, Yinzhou's cultural and creative industry has shone in the international market and become a new growth point for foreign trade exports.