Yinzhou’s Special Gift to Land in Sofia Next Month

On May 19, taking advantage of the China-Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) Expo, a batch of distinctive cultural and creative products from Wuxiang Town was packed and shipped to the China Cultural Center in Sofia, Bulgaria. Centered on Yinzhou’s Three-Character Classic culture and ingeniously incorporating Ningbo’s local characteristics, these creative works will serve as official gifts for the Bulgaria Asian Cultural Festival in June.

The newly developed cultural products, produced by Ningbo Hengxing Toy Co., Ltd., total 840 pieces across three categories. The Mengyin speaker incorporates elements of the Three-Character Classic; the “Yongxing Scroll” stamp toy box features 15 iconic Ningbo landmarks, including Ningbo Museum, Southern Song Stone Carving Park, and Ningbo Center Tower; and the fridge magnets are printed with the phrase “At four years old, he could yield pears” alongside small animations. These three products present Yinzhou’s culture in diverse and innovative ways.

This cultural export stems from a mutual pursuit of cultural needs. When Yinzhou’s dragon boat was showcased in Bulgaria, local residents showed great interest in Chinese culture, particularly in learning Chinese, but lacked tangible and accessible cultural carriers. Wuxiang Town, the location of the ancestral temple of Wang Yinglin, author of the Three-Character Classic, boasts a rich cultural heritage. Meanwhile, local company Hengxing Toy has extensive experience in cultural exports, having collaborated with domestic cultural IPs, such as developing over 20 cultural products with the Palace Museum, which have sold well in domestic and international markets.

With one side rooted in cultural heritage and the other in industrial expertise, this collaboration between local culture and enterprise was a natural fit.

Earlier this year, Wuxiang Town assisted the company in deeply exploring cultural elements like the Three-Character Classic to set the direction for cultural exports. The company then invested nearly two months in design, production, and packaging refinement to complete this batch of products. Yuan Tian, the company’s marketing director, revealed, “We plan to launch a personified plush toy series based on the Three-Character Classic IP to promote traditional culture in a more vibrant and youthful way, opening up international markets.”

Accompanying this shipment are 200 special small gifts, including handmade canvas bags, fans, and other crafts made by students from Wuxiang Town Central Primary School, as well as distinctive intangible cultural heritage items such as tiger-head shoes, egg carvings, and sachets. These will be presented as cultural exchange mementos to local students in Bulgaria.