Dongguan, hailed as China’s “Capital of Art Toys,” is set to host another landmark event. The 15th China International Animation Copyright Fair will take place from August 8 to 11 at the ACTIF Center in Shipai Town, Dongguan, the Capital of Art Toys in China.
This edition features the largest number of participating IPs in the fair’s history and marks its first hosting in Shipai Town. This inevitably raises the question: Among countless regions nationwide, how did this small town emerge to stage a national-level art toys extravaganza?
The answer may lie in Shipai Town’s unique resource endowment, long-term industrial potential, and precisely calibrated government-enterprise coordination mechanisms.
What defines Shipai Town as an “Art Toys Town”?
Why was this year’s fair awarded to Shipai?
The event’s theme—“Start a Dream”—resonates deeply with Shipai’s own trajectory. For over four decades, this town has steadily built industrial prowess, transforming art toy aspirations into tangible reality.
What fuels Shipai’s magnetism as an art toy town?
The answer lies in its thriving industrial foundation and standout market performance. As China’s “Capital of Art Toys,” Dongguan produces 85% of the country’s art toys and 25% of global animation derivatives. In 2024 alone, its 160 major art toy enterprises generated nearly 23.8 billion RMB in revenue—a 19% year-on-year surge—with Shipai as the undisputed powerhouse. Global phenomena like Nezha and Bing Dwen Dwen merchandise—products bearing Shipai’s manufacturing signature—have drawn worldwide attention. The town hosts industry leaders and influential IPs including ToyCity, Langbowang, MB Toys, Lioh Toy, Motor Nuclear, No1 Toys, and Sum’s Model Toys. These innovators consistently create market sensations through hit products, forging unparalleled industrial synergy.
This is a town turning dreams into reality through steadfast progress.
Tracing back the course of its development, over 40 years ago, toy manufacturers—primarily focused on OEM production—were drawn to Shipai Town for its abundant labor resources and convenient access to export markets. These enterprises gradually took root in Shipai, providing OEM services for internationally renowned brands such as Disney and Marvel, and in the process, accumulated a solid foundation in manufacturing
In 2023, Dongguan, where Shipai is located, was awarded the title of “Capital of Art Toys in China.” The rise of this national recognition has both witnessed and driven the upgrading of Shipai’s art toy industry. That same year, the Shipai Art Toy Industry Cluster was officially recognized as a Specialized Industrial Cluster for SMEs in Guangdong Province.
Leveraging its manufacturing expertise, robust policy support, and favorable development momentum, Shipai has not only attracted industry leaders but also nurtured homegrown art toy giants. It has transformed into the town with the highest concentration of art toy enterprises and independent brands in Dongguan. As of 2024, Shipai is home to 146 enterprises in the art toy supply chain, including 54 large-scale or above-quota enterprises, with a total revenue of 5.7 billion yuan that year and over 100 original IPs developed within the town.
This is a town that knows how to “play” with art toys in every possible way.
From a “manufacturing base” to a “cultural hub,” Shipai is undergoing a qualitative leap in its industrial role—evolving from a pure production center into an experiential and communication center for art toy culture. To foster a synergistic and healthy industrial ecosystem, Shipai has planned a “Art Toy Production Service Axis”, with the Art Toy Center and the ACTIF center as launch zones. It adopts a “front shop, back factory” model to drive partial urban renewal and repurpose underutilized factory spaces. In this area, diverse scenes such as themed exhibitions, open design studios, live-streaming bases, art toy hotels, and toy-themed cafés converge—turning the idea of “experiencing art toys in countless ways” into reality.
Shipai provides both premium venues for industry dialogue and a resource-rich bedrock for creative development.
To continuously expand and strengthen the art toy industry cluster, Shipai Town has clarified its industrial positioning—anchored in manufacturing—while simultaneously extending leftward into creative design and rightward into trade and exhibition. It also seeks to enhance integration with branding and R&D efforts based in China’s first-tier cities.
Today, the highly efficient coordination across the entire industrial chain has made this area a fertile ground for innovation in art toys. Within a 5-square-kilometer radius and a 15-minute drive around the Art Toy Center, a complete supply chain—from design and prototyping to production, logistics, and sales—is fully in place. Empowered by AI, Shipai Town, in collaboration with the Dongguan Institute of Artificial Intelligence, has established an AI Design and Prototyping Center, which has already developed three art toy AI agents and trained 20 AI application design professionals. This has effectively shortened the design cycle by 30%, while boosting production efficiency by 20% and improving the yield rate by 10%. In terms of speed, the area can now achieve prototyping within 48 hours, mass production in 72 hours, and turn an original IP into a physical sample in just 3 days. In terms of standards, Shipai leads the industry—having issued and implemented the nation’s first group standard for art toys, titled “General Technical Requirements for Art Toy Products”. The industry cluster in Shipai holds a total of 2,136 valid patents (including 161 invention patents) and 1,404 registered trademarks.
What’s the “playbook” for art toys in Shipai?
As industry attention once again converges here, what kind of new answers will the ever-evolving Shipai art toy industry provide?
The strength of the industry and the maturity of its ecosystem are one reason for choosing Shipai. The other lies in the major innovations this year’s fair brings in terms of models, mechanisms, and policy support. To make art toys even more “fun,” Shipai Town has made comprehensive preparations—from scientific spatial planning and innovative exhibition formats, to meticulous transport coordination—laying the groundwork for a vibrant and transformative event.
Making the layout more “precise”. In terms of spatial planning, a scientifically designed “Art Toy Town” blueprint has been formulated, centering on the principles of “where the industry is, there the policy and services go; where art consumption is, there the layout follows.” The plan outlines a spatial structure of “One Ring, One Zone, Two Bases.” The “One Zone” refers to the creation of an International Art Toy Demonstration Zone, offering enterprises one-stop services from concept to mass production, as well as integrated exhibition and sales matchmaking—fostering synergy between scaled manufacturing and innovation. The “One Ring” envisions an Art Toy Experience Loop, featuring a fully equipped, distinctive, and rich-in-content modern Art Toy Town, building a destination for citywide industrial tourism themed on art culture. The “Two Bases” include: A Cultural Tourism Experience Base, which leverages the western Binjiang riverside ecological zone to deeply integrate “art toys + cultural tourism,” creating a landmark that combines cultural creativity, agricultural experiences, eco-leisure, and commercial services. And a Consumer Experience Base, focused on the central zone, to develop “fan-centric scenes,” cultural creative check-in spots, and educational experiences. The aim is to build a futuristic, highly interactive, and immersive art toy consumption destination with a strong cultural atmosphere.
Making the exhibition more “evergreen”. Focusing on the model of “industrial town + professional exhibition,” Shipai is innovating an all-domain exhibition platform that blends online and offline formats through immersive scene design and year-round IP ecosystem displays. By integrating art toy enterprises, supply chains, designers, and local cultural tourism resources, the town accelerates the conversion of trade opportunities into results. Meanwhile, deeper integration between art toys and the animation & film industries is being promoted, creating a virtuous cycle where “art toys bring animation into daily life, and animation helps art toys go further.” Supported by the 130,000-square-meter integrated the ACTIF Center, Shipai plans to build “Five Industrial Ecosystem Hubs” and “Two Industry-Themed Exhibition Halls.” This will become the largest and most comprehensive art toy industry park in China, offering services in industrial support, product selection and sales, talent, creative R&D, cultural experience, and AI-powered industry upgrades—establishing a “365-day never-ending” national hub for China’s animation and art toy industry.
Making the experience “explosive”. On the transportation front, Shipai has made thorough preparations: In terms of parking, 27 parking lots with over 3,600 parking spaces have been activated around the ACTIF Center and Chuanlongpu Park, with a tiered guidance strategy in place. In terms of public transit, dedicated shuttles from Shenzhen Airport and Guangzhou Airport to the ACTIF Center are running, along with three inter-town lines and three connecting shuttle lines. A fleet of 25 buses operates with intervals tightened to 10–15 minutes, and all rides are free during the event. As for the emergency support, 50 backup buses are on standby, offering 24-hour emergency services. A temporary traffic control plan has also been prearranged to ensure smooth traffic flow throughout the event.
What can be expected from the integration of industry and exhibition?
This cultural-tourism event not only showcases Shipai’s profound heritage and urban excellence but also unlocks transformative opportunities for the transformation and upgrading of its art toy industry.
This year’s fair will debut the dedicated the “Capital of Art Toys in China · ACTIF Center”, aiming to transform it into an industry park with integrated exhibition functions. Behind this innovation lies industrial thinking—seeking deep integration between the exhibition platform and the industry cluster, enabling them to grow together. In doing so, the event will leverage a solid industrial foundation to expand the boundaries of what an exhibition can achieve.
Currently, Shipai Town is further advancing the development of its art toy industry ecosystem at a high level, accelerating efforts to build a characteristic town centered on the art toy industry and striving to become a national-level specialized industrial cluster for SMEs. The goal is to exceed 20 billion yuan in total output value of the town’s art toy industry cluster by 2027. To achieve this, several key measures will be implemented: Strengthening industrial support by formulating a new round of development plans and supportive policies, and promoting coordinated development across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain; Empowering through technological innovation by connecting with innovation resources from Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, enabling AI-driven advancements in production and design; Emphasizing cultural leadership by building a permanent international brand for animation exhibitions and sales, and establishing a “Art Toy +” ecosystem that integrates culture, tourism, and commerce; Expanding market access through in-depth collaboration with leading cross-border e-commerce companies and art toy industry associations, while enhancing training services for enterprises in e-commerce and international expansion; Improving coordination and synergy by leveraging the leading role of key enterprises to drive the growth and strengthening of small and medium-sized businesses.
One exhibition, one thriving city. The successful hosting of a high-quality industry event resonates with the upward momentum of urban development. As you step into Shipai, you’ll notice more and more art toy–themed urban sculptures rising across the town, and art toy creative markets emerging as new spaces for sharing cultural creativity. When industry leaders gather in Shipai, and citizens and visitors arrive with anticipation, they will not only experience professional and well-developed infrastructure and a continually improving business environment, but also witness how the aesthetics of manufacturing take root and bear fruit in Dongguan. This unique blend of industrial charm and urban vitality will allow more people to feel the true appeal of the “Capital of Art Toys in China.”
The tide rises in Dongguan, with boundless creativity. We confidently declare: Shipai’s art toy future holds limitless promise!
