Science and Technology Daily Client: Ningbo, Zhejiang: "Spring Festival Goods" Convenient Customs Clearance for Overseas Sales

Ningbo Customs officers conducted on-site research at nut and stir fry export enterprises. Photo by Xu Lidan

Science and Technology Daily reporter Xia Fan, correspondent Yang Jieru
　　   
The footsteps of the Spring Festival are approaching, and the flavor of the year flows between mountains and seas. The machines in the production workshops of Ningbo enterprises are roaring, and the "Chinese Red" on the customs inspection platform is eye-catching. Batch after batch of "Spring Festival goods" carrying traditional Chinese culture and authentic flavors are accelerating to gather and be sent to the world through convenient and efficient customs clearance channels. From the auspicious lantern couplets to the crispy nut stir fried goods, the "New Year's Flavor Gift Pack" exported from Ningbo crosses borders, allowing overseas Chinese to regain their nostalgic memories and sharing the joy and warmth of Chinese New Year with the world.
In the warehouse of Ningbo Haiwen Import and Export Co., Ltd., workers are busy inspecting and packaging red lanterns printed with the Chinese zodiac horse pattern. These lanterns carry the beautiful symbolism of 'leading the way' and 'achieving success', and the client specifically requested a design rich in Chinese elements, "said Yu Anbo, the company's general manager. In the first 20 days of 2026, the export value of enterprise lanterns has reached 1.3 million yuan, an increase of nearly 20% compared to the same period last year, and orders have experienced explosive growth. Nowadays, Chinese lanterns have already broken through the overseas Chinese community and entered more ordinary overseas families with unique cultural charm, becoming a "fashionable item" in the international market.
At the same time, on the inspection platform of Beilun Customs under Ningbo Customs, customs officers are carefully checking the Spring Festival supplies that are about to be exported to Malaysia. Products such as hot stamping couplets, zodiac red envelopes, and folding lanterns are neatly arranged. These seemingly ordinary objects are all "cultural messengers" that convey the flavor of Chinese New Year. Before the Spring Festival every year, it is the peak period for the export of such goods, and many overseas Chinese families still maintain the tradition of hanging lanterns, pasting Spring Festival couplets, and giving red envelopes, "said customs officer Wang Guomin. These red papers, gold, and ink that cross mountains and seas carry the nostalgia of overseas travelers, and also allow Chinese culture to take root in foreign lands.
Faced with the surge in pre holiday export orders, Ningbo Customs has opened a "green channel" for relevant enterprises and implemented convenient supervision models such as "advance declaration" and "appointment inspection" to ensure the shipment of holiday goods and fashion by ship, and to steadily seize the peak sales season in overseas markets. According to statistics, by December 2025, over 200 million yuan worth of various holiday supplies will be declared for export through Ningbo Port, with destinations covering multiple countries and regions such as the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
In addition to festive decorations, authentic "Chinese flavor" also permeates overseas. In the production workshop of Ningbo Hengkang Food Co., Ltd., plump sunflower seeds undergo multiple modern processes such as screening, frying, and baking, and are packaged in bags with different foreign language labels. As a "time-honored" enterprise with profound accumulation, Hengkang Food has actively expanded its international market in recent years, making nut stir fry an indispensable New Year's flavor responsibility for overseas Chinese gatherings. As the Chinese New Year approaches, overseas orders continue to grow, and we hope to let more compatriots celebrate the Spring Festival of the Year of the Horse with a 'Chinese flavor', "said Zhang Taofen from the company's business department. In 2025, the company will export nuts and stir fried goods worth over 25 million yuan, of which 5.6 million yuan will be exported to Libya, a year-on-year increase of 39.1%.
In order to assist the transformation and upgrading of China's traditional food industry and actively integrate into the international market, we have assigned a specialist to coordinate and provide the latest international regulatory requirements for products such as melon seeds, peas, and edamame for the target market of the enterprise. We will also conduct special risk analysis based on product characteristics to help the enterprise establish a full process quality management system from raw material procurement, production and processing to finished product export, effectively enhancing the competitiveness of the product in overseas markets, "said the relevant person in charge of Cixi Customs under Ningbo Customs.
With the increasing influence of Chinese culture, more and more Chinese characteristic products are going abroad. From festival decorations that carry cultural meanings to traditional foods that convey authentic flavors, the Spring Festival goods exported from Ningbo are not only commodities, but also a link for cultural exchange. While fulfilling its duties as a gatekeeper, Ningbo Customs guards every batch of "cultural ambassadors" and "flavor bearers" with professionalism and warmth, allowing the warmth of the Chinese New Year to reach every corner of the world, achieving the cultural reunion and taste resonance of "although separated by thousands of miles, sharing this spring sunshine".