Along the coast of the East China Sea, the spring tide is surging.
In just over ten days, the attention of the global stationery community will once again focus on Ningbo, on the grand stationery event to be held from March 25 to 27 at the Ningbo International Conference and Exhibition Center — the Ningbo International Stationery Fair 2026.
In the “Capital of Chinese Stationery,” this industry event will appear on an unprecedented scale with 64,000 square meters of exhibition area, 1,872 exhibitors, and hundreds of thousands of stationery products. It is sending an invitation to the world. This is the annual appointment between Ningbo and the global stationery community, and also the best window to observe the transformation and evolution of the global stationery industry.
Gathering of Thousands of Exhibitors — How Can It Carry Global Expectations
The Ningbo International Stationery Fair 2026will reach a new record scale, utilizing Halls H1–H8 of the Ningbo International Convention and Exhibition Center, the connecting corridor, and outdoor halls H9, H11, H16, and H57. From the initial single exhibition hall to the simultaneous opening of twelve halls today, the expansion history of the Ningbo International Stationery Fair is in fact a microcosm of the growth of China’s stationery industry. The 7% increase in scale compared with the previous edition, expanding the exhibition area to 64,000 square meters, represents not only an expansion of physical space, but also deeper integration of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain.
Behind the data lies the enthusiasm of the industry. A total of 1,872 enterprises from 20 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions including Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Guangdong and Hebei, as well as Hong Kong and Taiwan, and countries such as Vietnam, will make their appearance. More than a thousand long‑time partners such as Beifa, Baoke, Changlong, Changjiang Paper, Lepusheng, Xingwei, Tianhong, Wuqian Nian, Aoxiang, Hualong, Shuangye, Yiren, Xuetai, Yingchen, Golden Monkey, Chenqi, Hubao, Deligao, Qihao, Oudi, Hongxing, Best, Jiuling, Xiaomi, Kedeyou, Xinmo, Delijia, Subisizhuang and Kangmeilian will return as scheduled, while hundreds of new partners including Mali, Tianjiao, Kangda, STA, Yatan, New Era, Nano Micro, Simple Culture, Xinqiu Dye, Kaiyuan and Libang will make their debut.
The continuous optimization of the exhibitor structure and the strong concentration of industry leaders not only demonstrate the core platform value of the Ningbo Stationery Fair as a gathering place for leading stationery enterprises in China, but also reflect the collective participation of industrial clusters. “China’s Stationery Production Base” Shantou in Guangzhou, “China’s Stationery Industry Base” Ninghai in Ningbo, “Hometown of Chinese Pen‑making” Fenshui in Hangzhou, “China’s Cultural and Educational Supplies Industry Base” Wuyi in Jinhua, “One of the World’s Largest Pencil Production Bases” Qingyuan in Lishui, “China’s Toy and Gift Capital” Chenghai in Shantou, “China’s Trendy Toy Capital” Dongguan in Guangdong, “Chinese Pen Capital” Wengang in Jinxian, Jiangxi, “China’s Pen Manufacturing Capital” Wenzhou, as well as Linyi in Shandong and Yangzhou in Jiangsu… more than ten major stationery industrial bases across the country will participate with dozens or even hundreds of enterprises in group exhibitions. This showcases the complete, efficient and collaborative supply chain system of China’s stationery industry, and further highlights the industrial appeal and global influence of the Ningbo International Stationery Fair.
At the same time, the Ningbo International Stationery Fair’s online exhibition and trade platform — Antway (www.antway.cn) — will remain online continuously, providing exhibitors with free promotion, product display and buyer matching services 365 days a year. The linkage between online and offline channels extends the three‑day exhibition into a year‑round business platform.
Innovation Empowerment — How Can It Support the Industry Landscape
If scale is the skeleton of an exhibition, then exhibits are its soul. In recent years, the Ningbo International Stationery Fair has continuously broken the stereotype that “stationery equals pens and notebooks” by establishing the “Art Materials, Cultural Creative and Educational Zone,” the “Processing Equipment and Components Zone,” and by organizing new product launch events.
At this year’s exhibition, traditional categories such as writing instruments, office supplies, paper products and art supplies will remain the core sectors, while emerging tracks such as cultural creative trendy toys and emotional healing products are rapidly rising, forming a “stationery universe” with a full‑category layout.
What will you see when you step into the exhibition halls?
Stress‑relief squeeze toys designed in the shape of bread and hamburgers waiting for tired hands to flatten and knead them; stationery products co‑branded with popular IPs such as Nezha and Capybara, using familiar images to evoke emotional resonance; trendy products following the concept that “everything can be a blind box,” creating surprises the moment they are opened; cultural creative products from major scenic spots and museums that are often hard to obtain, allowing cultural memory to have a tangible carrier; as well as impressive new products such as AI creative tools and intelligent writing devices. The collision between tradition and technology is redefining the possibilities of “stationery.”
This year’s exhibition will continue and upgrade the First Launch series of activities. Well‑known stationery companies including Beifa, Jiuling, Kangmeilian, Changlong, Tianhong, Kedeyou, O‑Wen, Xingcangchen and Xingmao have confirmed their participation in the “First Launch | 2026 Ningbo International Stationery Fair Innovative Product Release Conference,” bringing the latest R&D and design achievements from their respective fields and joining the “release window” for the stationery industry in 2026.
At the same time, closely following the current trend of intelligent industrial transformation, the exhibition will launch the themed forum “The Book and Stationery Industry in the Silicon‑based Era,” focusing on topics such as data‑driven manufacturing upgrades, AI‑empowered brand operations and industry value reconstruction, exploring pathways for breakthroughs in the intelligent transformation of the stationery industry. In addition, activities such as the “2026 Douyin E‑commerce Cultural and Educational Industry Trend Report,” the “China Stationery Industry Standardization and Asia‑Pacific Alliance Standards Practice Training Conference,” and the launch of the “Ningbo Stationery Industry Foreign Trade Compliance Guidelines” will also be held.
Multiple forums and activities will take place successively. From product innovation to channel transformation, from technological empowerment to consumer insights, industry experts, corporate elites and platform representatives will engage in in‑depth dialogue, providing forward‑looking insights and strategic guidance for the global stationery community.
Guests from Global— Why Do They Gather in Ningbo
Relying on Ningbo’s industrial and international trade advantages as the “Capital of Chinese Stationery,” this exhibition has created an efficient global trade hub for “buying and selling worldwide,” becoming the preferred platform for global stationery buyers. As of the time of publication, the number of pre‑registered buyers for the Ningbo Stationery Fair has exceeded 35,000, including more than 2,000 overseas buyers. Behind these numbers lies a global procurement network.
Malaysia, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the United States, Bangladesh, Oman, Myanmar, Argentina, Nepal, Malawi, South Korea, Thailand, Egypt, Türkiye, Australia, Russia… global buyers from more than one hundred countries and regions have completed pre‑registration. This includes more than ten overseas purchasing delegations organized by institutions such as the Federation of Stationers and Booksellers Associations of Malaysia, the Malaysia Stationery Importers and Exporters Association, the Hong Kong Book and Stationery Industry Association, the Singapore Booksellers and Stationers Association, Philippine Stationers Association, Trade-guild of Books & Educational tools Taipei, the Taipei Stationery Wholesale Association and the Korea Cultural Content Licensing Association.
It also includes well‑known enterprises in the global stationery and gift industry such as Staples (USA), Office Max (USA), Advantus Corp (USA), Li & Fung (Hong Kong), Lintas Stationery Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), Hi‑Scan Wholesale Sdn Bhd (Malaysia), Gıpta A.Ş (Türkiye), Babyzone Philippines Inc (Philippines), Navneet Education Limited (India) and William Penn Pvt Ltd (India).
Domestic registered buyers come from more than 30 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions including Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Fujian. These include stationery industry associations such as the Guangdong Cultural Goods Industry Association, Shaanxi Sports & Cultural Supplies Industry Association, Guangzhou Stationery Industry Association and Shantou Stationery Association, as well as procurement delegations from professional markets such as Yiwu, Linyi and Shijiazhuang. Large Ningbo‑based foreign trade companies such as Ningbo Meibo, Zhaosheng, Kaiyue, Yahhu and Sailong will also participate, forming a strong and diverse procurement lineup.
At present, pre‑registered foreign trade buyers such as importers, overseas purchasing offices and cross‑border e‑commerce personnel account for more than 50% of the total. The number of buyers from leading domestic stationery and office supplies enterprises, well‑known e‑commerce companies and major domestic retailers has also increased significantly. It is expected that the final number of visitors will exceed 50,000.
In order to better serve exhibition visitors, during the exhibition the organizing committee will provide free shuttle buses, early registration gifts, free coffee and information consultation services, helping exhibitors and visitors participate in the exhibition more conveniently and comfortably. Dedicated rest areas, dining areas and business negotiation areas will also be set up on site to provide comfortable spaces for in‑depth communication.
From a single pen to an entire industry, from an exhibition to a city. In March, when the spring tide along the coast of the East China Sea meets the enthusiasm of the global stationery community, a grand feast for stationery is about to begin.