Trendy toys, games and esports set to shine at CIFTIS

The 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is set to open Wednesday, with trendy toys, games and esports attracting visitors' attention at Beijing's Chaoyang district exhibition area.

Pop Mart's Space Molly Cloisonne is on display at the 2026 China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, Sept. 8, 2026. [Photo/China.org.cn]

Participating companies in the exhibition include Pop Mart, HERE Qimeng Island, 52Toys and Three-Body Universe. They are offering interactive and immersive experiences where visitors can try popular online games, or simply check out cultural and creative products, according to a press conference held in Beijing on Monday.

"This year at CIFTIS, we have invited multiple leading trendy toy companies to the exhibition area, providing visitors with a one-stop IP experience," said Chu Xuefei, deputy director of the Administrative Committee of the National Cultural Industry Innovation Pilot Zone in Chaoyang district, Beijing.

"We are bringing the latest masterpiece of our MEGA series — 'Space Molly Cloisonne' — co-created by Xu Jiashuang, a Beijing-based representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage cloisonne technique, and Pop Mart to CIFTIS," a representative from Pop Mart said.

Crafted with the Chinese intangible cultural heritage cloisonne technique, the design incorporates the "36 Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches" as well as star elements, transforming the astronaut suit into a flowing star chart. 

HERE Qimeng Island will globally launch a new series during the fair, featuring three intangible heritage crafts: Beijing silk figurines, traditional Chinese knot buttons as well as ceramic art. The series combines traditional craftsmanship with contemporary expressions. Only a limited number will be available at the fair.

52Toys will debut its Nook & Seek Gemini Series blind boxes, while Suplay will bring its four brands to present products based on different hot IPs, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber" merchandise, "The Dark Knight" miniature figures, and "Harry Potter" 25th anniversary premium collector cards.

During the fair, the HAO African Animal Specimen Museum will also display African animal taxidermy, alongside cultural products that showcase Africa's unique heritage.

Chaoyang District is home to 42 trendy toy companies, with revenue reaching nearly 30 billion yuan in 2025, up more than 150% year on year. A three-year action plan released in May is accelerating the district's push to become a "city of trendy toys with global influence."

This year at CIFTIS, the Chaoyang exhibition area has set up a game and esports section, where highly anticipated new games will make their debut. Visitors can try upcoming titles and watch the debut promotional videos of new releases. For example, Ruyi Holdings' Jingxiu Games will bring multiple new titles, including "Palworld Official Card Game," "CookieRun: Tower of Adventures" and "FC Football Dream Theater," along with a new edition of "Red Alert Online."

FunPlus will showcase "Aniimo," a multiplayer online open-world pet-catching RPG, for the first time at CIFTIS. Many are also anticipating the world's first "Three-Body" themed VR large-space exploration work, "Three-Body Game: Civilization Fragments."

In 2025, game and esports companies based in Beijing’s Chaoyang district generated 19.18 billion yuan in revenue. 

CIFTIS will be held from Sept. 9 to 13 at Shougang Park in Beijing. The cultural and tourism exhibition brings together 413 participating organizations across four sections: outstanding traditional Chinese culture, new cultural productive forces, integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports and exhibition, and overseas promotion and exchange of cultural products. Twenty-three exhibition booths, including those of Dongcheng, Chaoyang and Haidian, will showcase Beijing's innovative practices in cultural digital transformation, technology empowerment and cultural heritage preservation, presenting the latest achievements in building a national cultural center and new explorations in high-quality cultural tourism development.