Qiu Zhihong likes to describe himself as a flying man, after taking flights covering nearly 100,000 kilometers spanning four continents in just a single month earlier this year.

"I have visited many places since the beginning of this year, looking for more business opportunities," said Qiu, general manager of Daye Plastic and Crafts Industrial Co.

The company, a leading toy and gift manufacturer based in Chenghai district, Shantou, in the eastern coastal part of Guangdong province, has seen a sharp increase in toy exports.

"Amid a global downturn trend, the number of new customers and orders have increased a lot in recent months, thanks to efforts in promoting more of our high-quality toy products to the global market," Qiu said.

Leveraging technology to enhance product quality and value, promoting the integration of craft toys and developing digital creativity along an entire industry chain are important for the high-quality development of the local toy and gift industry, he added.

"From initial low-end production focused on intensive labor manufacturing to the current high-quality intelligent development, we have been making greater efforts in self-improvement in technological innovation," he said.

Qiu's company mirrors the toy and gift industrial development in Chenghai, which has become China's toy and gift capital, strongly characterized by its large-scale, high industrial concentration, complete supply chain and well-known brands both domestically and internationally.

It is commonly known that six out of every 10 toys in the nation are produced in Chenghai, previously a fishing and farming village in Shantou.

After over 40 years of development, the district has more than 10,000 companies related to toy and gift manufacturing, of which 253 are above designated size (main business revenue above 20 million yuan), said the local bureau of commerce.