On September 28, 2026, Kayou announced the renewal of its partnership with Zhou Bichang. From their first collaboration in 2025 to this deepened cooperation, the focus of this change has gradually extended from the partnership itself to the stationery category layout behind the brand.According to data from China Report Hall, the market size of China's stationery industry reached 132.2 billion yuan in 2024, is expected to exceed 150 billion yuan in 2025, and is expected to approach 160 billion yuan in 2026, with a five-year compound growth rate of about 13%. As the industry scale continues to expand, stationery consumption is also extending from basic functions to design experience, cultural expression, and brand identity. Product capability has become an important foundation for enterprises to build long-term competitiveness.For Kayou, this deepened cooperation is an external manifestation of the changes in its stationery development stage. What supports this change is its long-term accumulation around product research and development, manufacturing systems, and design capabilities. Kayou is exploring a development path that extends from IP value to consumption scenarios, making stationery an important entry point connecting brand capabilities with users' daily lives.Two-Way Alignment, Matrix ExpansionIn December 2025, Kayou officially announced Zhou Bichang as its stationery spokesperson. At that time, what appeared alongside Zhou Bichang was Kayou's self-developed Zero Series gel pen.Nine months later, the partnership has deepened further. On September 28, 2026, Zhou Bichang and the brand once again joined forces. The Kayou self-operated pens appearing alongside Zhou Bichang are no longer limited to the Zero Series, with more products appearing together.From "one pen" to "more self-operated pens," this cooperation focuses on the enrichment of Kayou's stationery pen product matrix. What matters more than the "pen pen" pun between the two sides is their alignment in professionalism and quality. This alignment also provides the foundation for the continued deepening of their cooperation.In the consumer industry, spokesperson partnerships serve the function of brand communication, while the establishment of long-term cooperative relationships requires the brand to have the ability to continuously create value. For Kayou stationery, this value is built on business scale growth, product system improvement, manufacturing capability enhancement, and user awareness accumulation.From a business development perspective, Kayou stationery has already formed a certain scale foundation. According to Kayou's prospectus, its stationery revenue grew from 20.9 million yuan in 2022 to 513 million yuan in 2024, with a two-year compound growth rate of about 395%. Kayou's stationery product line continues to expand, gradually extending from early products such as stickers and notebooks to more than ten subcategories including pencils, gel pens, notebooks, and folders.At the industry trend level, the consumption logic of stationery is changing. According to the "2025 Generation Z Emotional Consumption Report," nearly 60% of young people are willing to pay for emotional value, among whom 37.6% are willing to pay for "value resonance" and 23.9% are willing to pay for "quality and originality." Design sense, quality sense, and brand culture are gradually becoming important factors influencing choices. Stationery is beginning to become a new scenario for brands to establish long-term relationships with users.Kayou's choice to continue increasing its investment in the stationery business at this stage reflects its long-term planning for category development. As an enterprise that started with IP operation and industrial chain advantages, Kayou has accumulated strong content connection capabilities. Entering the stationery field means that IP value further enters daily consumption scenarios. Stationery connects high-frequency usage needs such as learning and office work, and has also become an important carrier for Kayou to reach users and expand consumption boundaries.Deepening Production and Research, Consolidating the FoundationBehind the deepening cooperation, it ultimately comes down to the product itself. In recent years, Kayou has continued to increase its investment in the stationery business, extending from basic writing products to high-end design-oriented stationery, and gradually improving its research and development and manufacturing systems.The Zero Series gel pen is an important embodiment of Kayou stationery's product capability building. According to public information, the Zero Series gel pen controls the average unilateral tip clearance at about 0.014 millimeters, a precision roughly equivalent to one-fifth of the diameter of a human hair. The tip clearance directly affects the writing experience, and behind it involves multiple links such as pen tip structure, component coordination, and production precision.Public reports show that producing one Zero Series gel pen requires 5 to 6 sets of molds, each set containing 200 to 300 parts, totaling more than 1,000 high-precision parts. The pen tip process alone requires 24 procedures.Precision requirements also drive the continuous upgrading of the production system. In October 2025, Zhejiang Kayou Animation Co., Ltd. was selected as a pilot enterprise for Zhejiang Province's Future Factory with its "Cultural and Creative Pen Future Factory" project; in March 2026, Kayou was further selected for the provincial-level digital workshop list. In the intelligent production workshop, the entire process from raw material warehousing to finished product delivery has achieved digital management, and the assembly process can complete the full-process assembly of a pen in 1.2 seconds.From product precision to production systems, Kayou is extending its pen-making capabilities to links such as research and development, manufacturing, and quality management, providing support for the sustainable development of the stationery category.While products are made refined, investment in the manufacturing system is equally critical. In 2022, Kayou set stationery as a strategic direction, established research and development teams in China and Japan, and invested 2 billion yuan in Yiwu, Zhejiang to build a modern pen manufacturing factory. As the stationery business advances, Kayou continues to improve its research and development, manufacturing, and quality management systems, and its testing center has obtained CNAS accreditation.Product capability has also further extended to the design level. In April this year, the KAYOU+ Series high-precision mechanical drawing pencil, independently developed and produced by Kayou stationery, won multiple product design awards including the "Red Dot Design Award." Continuous international design recognition means that the competitive dimension of Kayou stationery has further extended to design experience.In terms of product layout, Kayou continues to enrich its stationery categories. The Zero Series focuses on basic writing experience, the KAYOU+ Series explores design-oriented stationery, and IP co-branded products integrate IP resources such as Nezha and My Little Pony into daily usage scenarios. As a result, Kayou stationery has gradually formed a complete capability chain from product research and development to manufacturing, and then to design and IP application.Linking IP, Expanding SpaceTo understand the strategic value of Kayou stationery, it is necessary to observe it within Kayou's overall business structure.According to the prospectus, Kayou achieved revenue of 10.057 billion yuan in 2024, and its share of China's TCG market reached 71.1% in the same year. As its original business continues to develop, stationery is becoming an important incremental part of Kayou's business structure, opening up new category space for Kayou.The strategic significance of stationery is not only reflected in revenue increments, but also in the fact that while Kayou continues to expand its IP matrix, it is gradually forming an independent category path centered on product research and development, design, and manufacturing capabilities.As of the end of 2024, Kayou had signed 70 IPs, of which 69 were licensed IPs, with IP procurement expenditure of 768 million yuan in 2024. By 2026, the number of IPs signed by Kayou had increased to more than 100, with domestic IPs accounting for more than one-third. As the IP matrix continues to expand, stationery has richer content application space, and at the same time, through products such as the Zero Series and KAYOU+, it further extends product value to daily stationery consumption scenarios.Channel reuse is another advantage of the stationery business. As of the end of 2024, Kayou had 217 distributors, covering 31 provinces across the country, and had 32 offline flagship stores and 13 online self-operated stores. This mature channel network provides a ready-made operating foundation for stationery products to enter more consumer markets. This channel system can directly serve the stationery category, with marginal costs lower than building independently.Overseas layout is also advancing simultaneously. In 2025, Kayou successively entered the Malaysian, Indonesian, Japanese, and North American markets, and in December opened the world's first overseas flagship store in Bangkok, Thailand.The landing of overseas channels echoes this deepened cooperation, and the stationery category has become one of the product lines in Kayou's globalization layout to enter overseas markets first.ConclusionFrom the first cooperation in 2025 to the deepened cooperation in 2026, the change in external signals is only a starting point. More noteworthy is that over the past year or so, Kayou stationery has completed continuous accumulation from single-product layout to category building, with product research and development, precision manufacturing, design innovation, and channel expansion gradually forming synergy.This also makes the significance of stationery to Kayou clearer. It inherits Kayou's existing IP operation capabilities, while expanding new value space through independent products and manufacturing systems, and entering broader consumer markets along with overseas channel layout.When product capability becomes an important foundation for long-term competitiveness, the upgrade of the spokesperson has a more solid commercial support. Kayou's stationery ambition ultimately lands on the precision of a pen, the accumulation of a manufacturing system, and the brand's continuous expansion from IP value to broader consumption scenarios.Disclaimer: Portions of the content and/or images in this article are sourced from enterprises or publicly available online resources. If any material infringes upon your copyright or other legal rights, please contact us for prompt removal.

On September 24, the State Council Information Office held a press conference in the series “Kickstarting the 15th Five-Year Plan”. At the event, an official from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism stated that China will continue to promote cultural exports during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.Chinese cultural works have gained immense popularity overseas in recent years, from Wukong to Ne Zha. The “new three pillars” of cultural exports — online literature, web dramas and online games — are well received by global audiences. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism will support cultural enterprises venturing into international markets by building trade platforms, strengthening service channels and facilitating project matchmaking. It will push for faster overseas rollout of Chinese cultural products including animation, live performances, trendy toy cultural derivatives, arts and crafts, stage equipment, and arcade and gaming machines, so as to achieve both higher volume and better quality in cultural trade.

As reported by Ningbo Fabu, the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Statistics and the Ningbo Survey Team of the National Bureau of Statistics have published Ningbo’s economic performance from January to August.From January to August, Ningbo fully implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council as well as the work requirements of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. Upholding the general work tone of pursuing progress while maintaining stability, the city focused on delivering Xi Jinping’s important “4+1” requirements and the provincial Party Committee’s overall “132” work plan. Proactively responding to risks and challenges, Ningbo strove to unlock policy effectiveness and accelerate the shift from old to new growth drivers, sustaining stable economic performance across the city.1. Industrial Output Grew Rapidly, Supported by Key SectorsFrom January to August, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size rose by 8.5% year-on-year. Among this, the added value of private enterprises increased by 11.3%. By sector, nine out of the top ten industries by added value recorded year-on-year growth while one declined; collectively they drove the growth of added value of industrial enterprises above designated size by 7.5 percentage points. The added value of automobile manufacturing and computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing grew by 30.3% and 12.3% respectively, both achieving double-digit expansion. By enterprise scale, added value of large enterprises climbed 12.6%, medium-sized enterprises 2.8%, and small enterprises 7.4%. For emerging industries, manufacturing added value of high-end equipment, high-tech industries and core industries of the digital economy increased by 14.8%, 10.8% and 9.9% respectively, all outpacing the growth of industrial enterprises above designated size.2. Services Recovered Steadily; Financial Deposits and Loans Remained SoundFor January–July, operating revenue of service enterprises above designated size (excluding wholesale, retail, accommodation, catering, finance and real estate development) rose 7.5% year-on-year, 1.1 percentage points higher than the January–June reading. Revenue of science and technology services and high-tech service enterprises increased by 7.9% and 9.1% respectively.From January to August, cargo throughput of the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port reached 947 million tonnes, down 1.1%. Cargo throughput within the Ningbo port area stood at 464 million tonnes, a drop of 2.7%. Container throughput of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port hit 30.4 million TEUs, up 6.1%, while container throughput in the Ningbo port area reached 26.88 million TEUs, rising 4.7%.At the end of August, the balance of local and foreign currency deposits of financial institutions in the city stood at RMB 4.31 trillion, and loan balance at RMB 4.84 trillion, up 8.9% and 6.7% respectively.3. Investment Structure Continued to Improve; Manufacturing Investment Registered Solid GrowthFrom January to August, fixed-asset investment across the city fell by 3.9% year-on-year. Excluding real estate development investment, fixed-asset investment grew by 2.2%. By sector, manufacturing investment rose 8.4%, 12.3 percentage points above overall investment growth; infrastructure investment increased 5.7%, of which transportation investment jumped 12.6%. Real estate development investment dropped 19.0%.Investment in core digital economy industries, equipment manufacturing and high-tech industries increased by 37.5%, 15.7% and 13.9% respectively. The floor space of commercial housing sold reached 4.2 million square metres, down 0.7%.4. Consumer Market Expanded; Online Consumption Remained VibrantFrom January to August, total retail sales of consumer goods reached RMB 375.2 billion, up 3.0% year-on-year. Retail sales of consumer goods by units above designated size totalled RMB 149.4 billion, also rising 3.0%.Consumption of daily necessities grew steadily: retail sales of beverages, grain, oil and food, and daily commodities by units above designated size increased by 11.9%, 9.6% and 7.3% respectively. Sales of some upgraded consumer goods surged: retail sales of wearable smart devices and smartphones by units above designated size multiplied by 1.5 times and 1.2 times respectively.Online retail sales by units above designated size via public networks grew by 17.4%, accounting for 42.1% of their total retail sales of consumer goods, 5.0 percentage points higher year-on-year.5. Import and Exports Exceed RMB 1 Trillion; Private Enterprises Were Major ContributorsFrom January to August, total foreign trade volume reached RMB 1.04 trillion, a 7.0% year-on-year increase. Exports stood at RMB 714.6 billion (+8.5%), and imports RMB 322.3 billion (+3.8%).Private enterprises played a pivotal role, with import and export volume of RMB 812.4 billion, up 8.1%. This drove overall foreign trade growth by 6.3 percentage points and made up 78.3% of the city’s total trade volume.Trade with the EU, the United States and ASEAN rose by 4.1%, 3.7% and 22.0% respectively. Exports of mechanical and electrical products reached RMB 413.1 billion, up 7.8%, representing 57.8% of total exports. Exports of the “new three” products hit RMB 47.3 billion, soaring 114.8%.6. Consumer Prices Rose Moderately; Growth in Industrial Producer Prices WidenedFrom January to August, the urban Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1.3% cumulatively year-on-year. Food prices edged up 0.2%, while non-food prices rose 1.5%.In August alone, urban CPI increased 0.9% year-on-year, 0.2 percentage points faster than the previous month; month-on-month CPI turned from flat to a 0.1% rise.From January to August, the Producer Price Index for Industrial Products (PPI) went up 2.3% year-on-year, while the Industrial Purchasing Price Index grew 6.9%. In August, factory-gate prices rose 4.4% year-on-year, 0.4 percentage points higher than July. Purchasing prices climbed 9.7% year-on-year.On the whole, Ningbo’s economy maintained stable operation from January to August with sustained development resilience. Nevertheless, the external environment remains complex and volatile, some enterprises face difficulties in production and operation, and effective demand remains insufficient. More efforts are needed to consolidate the foundation for steady improvement.Going forward, we will follow Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, adhere to the principle of pursuing progress while maintaining stability and improving quality and efficiency. In response to the requirement to “better play a leading and driving role”, we will fully stabilise the industrial fundamentals, expand and upgrade the service sector, unlock consumption potential, and implement a comprehensive strategy to stabilise, expand, adjust and optimise foreign trade, so as to steer the economy toward sustained, high-quality and improved development.

Chinese New Year, is the happiest holiday season in China and is full of fun activities. People seem to compete with each other in doing New Year shopping, decorating their own houses, and preparing plenty of festival food. During the half-month celebration, there is much interesting trivia and we select the top 8 fun facts that may inspire you.1. Every year is represented by a zodiac animal.Chinese zodiac, also called Shengxiao (生肖), is like the western zodiac in some ways. One of the fun facts about Chinese New Year is that every year is represented by a zodiac animal and it is for the entire year. Chinese zodiacs are based on a 12-year cycle and there are 12 zodiacs in total, which include Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.In Chinese culture, the zodiacs play an important role and they are closely related to people’s characteristics, careers, health, and love relationship. At present, people are more likely to regard the zodiac animal as a kind of mascot, which can bring good fortune in the New Year.2. Hide a lucky coin inside a dumplingEating dumplings is one of the most typical customs on New Year's Eve, especially for people in northern China. All the family members reuniting together to have a dumpling feast is undoubtedly one of the happiest things of the day.An interesting fact is that people will hide a lucky coin or several coins in the process of making dumplings. The coin represents luck and wealth. When eating dumplings, the person who gets the dumplings with lucky coins is believed to get the best luck the next year.3.  “Fu” character posted upside downThe Chinese character “Fu” (福) appears on different occasions very frequently during the Chinese New Year and it is always written on a piece of red diamond-shaped paper. “Fu” means good fortune in Chinese. Before the Chinese New Year, every family posts the “Fu” on the doors, windows, or walls. If you look carefully, you can find a fun fact that most of the “Fu” are posted upside down. That’s because in Chinese, the words “upside down” and “come” have the same pronunciation. Pasting the “Fu” upside down means that good fortune is coming.4. Six million people send digital red envelopes.Another traditional custom in Chinese New Year is the red envelopes, with lucky money inside, which are normally sent by elders to the young generation. The red envelopes represent happiness and good luck. In recent years, with the development of the internet and the popularization of Ali pay and WeChat Pay, people are more likely to send digital red envelopes and this is an activity prevalent among all people.There have been more than 688 million people sending digital red envelopes to express blessings and wishes in the Chinese New Year of 2022 and undoubtedly there are more people joining this in 2023.5. No sweeping on Chinese New Year's DayThis is an interesting fact about Chinese New Year – all the sweeping and cleaning have to be finished before New Year’s Eve and it is not allowed to sweep on New Year’s Day. According to the old saying, if you sweep on that day, it means you just sweep wealth and good fortune out of the house.In different areas of China, the customs are a little different. In some places, people will not sweep until the fourth day of the New Year for keeping good fortune in the house.6. See off and welcome the Kitchen GodAccording to Chinese legend, the Kitchen God will visit the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven, to report the daily affairs of families on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month. For having a better report, people always sacrifice candy and cakes to the Kitchen God. What’s more, sometimes people will paste the syrup on the mouth of the Kitchen God so that he cannot say any bad words about the families.The time to welcome the Kitchen God is on the 4th day of the 1st lunar month and every family just changes a new painting of Kitchen God and prepares some sacrificial offerings.7. Welcome the God of Wealth on the 5th day of the New YearAs one of the most important gods in China, the God of Wealth is widely loved by the public. On the basis of folk legend, the fifth day of the New Year is the birthday of the God of Wealth. In order to celebrate it, people always prepare a big dinner and sacrifice fruits and fish on the previous night. The fish in Chinese means “Yu”, which is associated with lucky things: a prosperous life and abundance. After 0:00, people will set off firecrackers and light fireworks to welcome the God of Wealth. In some areas, it will be arranged in the early morning of the fifth day.8. The festival originated from fighting against a monster.One of the most interesting facts about the Chinese New Year is the origin story of the festival. It was said to be about a fierce monster called “Nian”, who would appear every 365 days or 366 days to eat humans.As time went by, people found that the monster always came at night and was afraid of the red and the sound of the firecrackers. So from then on, people began to drive away the monster by setting off firecrackers, wearing red clothes, and making red decorations.Therefore, celebrating the Chinese New Year is also called ‘Guo Nian’, which means defeating the monster “Nian”.