Qiaoxia: Playground slides, park swings, mall play structures, kindergarten climbing sets -- these childhood favorites all belong to a single category of toys: non-powered amusement facilities. In this realm of childhood wonder, Qiaoxia, a small town in Yongjia County, east China's Zhejiang Province, has cemented its position as a global epicenter of playground equipment manufacturing.
According to Namibia Press Agency, with over 1,300 toy manufacturing and supporting businesses packed into its 150-square-km area, Qiaoxia produces 63 percent of China's non-powered playground facilities. In recent years, the town dubbed "China's capital of teaching equipment and toys" has transformed itself through innovation and extending its industrial chain, exporting products to more than 100 countries and regions.
The industry traces its roots in the town to the 1970s, when local artisans began crafting educational toys inspired by preschool teaching materials. Utilizing resources from the local kaolin mine, villagers initially made plasticine before crafting teaching toys like wooden knives and dumbbells. A significant breakthrough came around 1978 when local wood-carver Wu Yuanxi created plastic educational posters based on kindergarten textbooks, which gained national fame.
China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, followed by rapid economic growth, led to a surge in demand for toys. By the 1990s, educational plastic posters, wooden puzzles, playhouses, slides, and ball pits became popular, transforming Yongjia County's toy industry from family workshops into professional enterprises.
Kaiqi Group, established in 1995, became a leading toy producer by integrating production and R and D of playground equipment. With over 100 R and D personnel, the company introduces numerous new products annually, investing more than 20 million yuan (about 2.78 million U.S. dollars) on R and D. Deputy General Manager Hu Zhang noted that a significant transformation occurred in 2008 when the company upgraded equipment after learning from foreign counterparts.
Liben Group Corporation exemplifies innovation by expanding into customized non-powered amusement equipment and children's theme parks. Recently, the company opened seven indoor amusement venues in cities like Shenyang and Changchun, refining their products through direct customer feedback.
After nearly 50 years of development, Qiaoxia hosts a coordinated industrial ecosystem, with six enterprises each boasting annual revenues exceeding 100 million yuan. A government work report released in March emphasized efforts to boost county economies. Driven by the toy manufacturing industry, Yongjia County achieved a total industrial output of 4.74 billion yuan among its significant enterprises in 2024, marking an 8 percent increase over the previous year.
Chen Ming, deputy Party chief of Qiaoxia Town, stated, "By helping firms set up R and D hubs and jointly exhibit at global trade shows, we will secure new orders and boost our reputation as China's capital of teaching equipment and toys."