Shanghai Stationery Fair – China Stationery & Office Supplies Fair (CSF)

The 119th China Stationery Fair (CSF) in 2025 was successfully held from June 11 to 13 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Co-hosted by the China Department Store Association and the China Pen Manufacturers Association, this edition of the fair was themed “Empowering with Cultural Creativity—Reinventing for a New Beginning.” It marked the 119th iteration since the inception of the CSF and stands as the most significant annual trade event for the stationery industry in the Asia-Pacific region. Concurrently, the fair featured a series of supporting events, including the China Stationery Industry Summit Forum, a Stationery Design Trends Launch, and an E‑commerce Operations Workshop.

With an exhibition area spanning 80,000 square meters, the show brought together over 1,200 exhibiting companies, occupying all six halls of the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The exhibitor lineup included leading Chinese stationery brands such as M&G, Deli, Comix, Truemark, and Baixue, alongside internationally renowned names like Mitsubishi Pencil, Pentel, Zebra, KOKUYO, Faber‑Castell, and LAMY. Overseas exhibitors and buyers from more than 30 countries and regions—including Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United States, Italy, France, India, Vietnam, and Thailand—also attended. Over the three-day event, the fair welcomed more than 60,000 professional visitors, including over 4,000 international buyers.

For the first time, this year’s fair introduced a dedicated “Cultural Creativity and IP Licensing Zone”, which became the standout highlight of the entire event. This zone showcased collaborative stationery collections featuring well-known IPs such as Palace Museum stationery, Dunhuang cultural products, British Museum–inspired designs, Sanrio, and Disney, alongside creative categories like journaling accessories, original illustrations, and designer‑crafted stationery items. According to exhibitors, stationery products bearing IP attributes command significantly higher price premiums than standard offerings, while Gen Z consumers continue to demonstrate strong willingness to pay for aesthetically appealing and emotionally resonant stationery. Palace Museum stationery presented its calligraphy series co‑branded with several prominent stationery brands, seamlessly blending traditional culture with contemporary design and drawing substantial interest from potential buyers. The zone also hosted multiple IP licensing matchmaking sessions, fostering partnerships between stationery manufacturers and intellectual property holders.

Guochao stationery emerged as another major highlight of this year’s fair. M&G unveiled its “National Essence Series” writing instruments, integrating traditional cultural motifs such as Peking Opera masks and blue-and-white porcelain into product designs. Deli launched its “Shanhaijing” themed cultural stationery collection, fusing ancient mythology with practical writing tools. Several exhibitors noted that, amid the growing popularity of Guochao consumption, “Chinese‑style” stationery is experiencing robust growth both domestically and internationally, particularly in Southeast Asian markets with large Chinese populations and among Asian communities in Europe and North America.

The writing instruments section remained exceptionally popular. Mitsubishi Pencil showcased its latest “Centennial Oak” line of premium writing tools, combining natural wood with precision‑engineered nibs. Pentel presented its limited‑edition “Mount Fuji” fountain pen series, attracting numerous stationery enthusiasts and collectors with its exquisite craftsmanship and distinctive design. M&G introduced its “Premium” series of high‑end writing instruments, emphasizing smooth writing performance and ergonomic design, targeting the mid‑to‑high‑end market segment. Many pen manufacturers observed that, despite the ongoing shift toward paperless offices, high‑quality, visually appealing, and experience‑driven writing tools continue to enjoy steady consumer demand, with average transaction values steadily increasing.

The office supplies and paper products section also delivered strong results. Deli exhibited its full range of “Smart Office” solutions, including intelligent shredders, smart attendance systems, and interactive conference tablets, expanding its portfolio from traditional office stationery to cutting‑edge smart devices. Comix highlighted its “B2B Office Supplies Procurement Solution,” providing enterprises with one‑stop procurement services. Guangbo Shares unveiled its co‑branded notebook series with Line Friends, blending adorable IP characters with functional notebooks, which proved especially popular among young female consumers.

The China Stationery Industry Summit Forum gathered top industry thought leaders. With the theme “New Cycle, New Brands, New Channels,” the forum featured keynote speeches by the President of the China Department Store Association, the Chairman of the China Pen Manufacturers Association, the President of M&G, the Vice President of Deli, the General Manager of Tmall’s Stationery Category, and the Director of ’s Stationery Product Line, among others. A roundtable discussion delved into topics such as “How Stationery Brands Can Embrace Youthfulness,” “The Interplay and Integration of Traditional and Emerging Distribution Channels,” and “Opportunities and Challenges in Expanding Stationery Markets Overseas.” Experts emphasized that the Chinese stationery industry is currently undergoing a critical phase of transformation and upgrading, with branding, cultural creativity, digitalization, and sustainability emerging as key pillars for future development.

The e‑commerce operations workshop drew packed audiences. Official teams from Tmall Stationery, Stationery, Douyin E‑commerce, and Pinduoduo shared their platforms’ latest 2025 investment strategies, category‑specific insights, and operational methodologies. The Douyin E‑commerce team highlighted the application of “interest‑based e‑commerce” within the stationery category, leveraging short videos and live streams to stimulate latent purchasing demand. Several successful e‑commerce sellers also shared hands‑on experiences scaling their businesses from zero to multi‑million‑yuan operations, offering invaluable guidance on e‑commerce strategy and execution to participating exhibitors.

Having traversed 119 editions, the CSF has witnessed the remarkable evolution of China’s stationery industry—from “Made in China” to “China Brand”—and from utilitarian stationery to culturally inspired products. As Gen Z emerges as the dominant consumer cohort, Guochao consumption continues to gain momentum, and cultural creativity increasingly converges with stationery design, the Chinese stationery sector is poised to seize new opportunities for growth.