Foreigners prefer Chinese mortise and tenon building blocks, and orders from Alibaba International Station increased by 500%

Without nailing or riveting, two pieces of wood are tightly fastened together, with the protruding part being the tenon and the recessed part being the mortise and tenon, collectively known as the mortise and tenon joint. The mortise and tenon joint structure represents the beauty of traditional Chinese wood craftsmanship and has a history of thousands of years. In the past two years, skilled craftsmen have made it into building blocks and exported it overseas. The reporter learned from the cross-border e-commerce B2B platform Alibaba International Station that from January to May this year, the number of orders for mortise and tenon building blocks increased by 500% year-on-year.

"Our mortise and tenon building blocks have been labeled the 'Chinese version of Lego', and I believe this label of leveraging foreign brands will gradually fade." Wu Xian, deputy director of the Hangzhou Wu Liren Museum of National Art, told reporters that the mortise and tenon structure, which combines traditional mechanics, mathematics, aesthetics and philosophy, is now spreading overseas.

(Photo: Mortise and tenon building blocks displayed at Wu Liren National Art Museum)

Jennifer , foreign trade manager of Guangzhou Kaiyue Import & Export Co., Ltd., said that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of inquiries for toys has skyrocketed, and the number of mortise and tenon building blocks has increased several times. "Toys are light and large in size, and high freight has always been a pain point." Wang Li, general manager of Changde Ourui Import & Export Trading Co., Ltd., said that due to the frequent occurrence of "it's hard to find a cabin" in cross-border logistics and the continuous increase in costs, merchants are very worried.

Data shows that the number of toy exporting companies increased by 1.2 million last year , and about 70% of the world's toys are made in China. Alibaba International Station also shows that from January to May this year , the number of toy orders on the platform increased by 185% year-on-year, and the number of wholesale buyers increased by 235%. Toy products are called "throw goods" because they are large in size but light in weight. If the volume weight is greater than the actual weight, they will be charged according to the volume weight.

To this end, Alibaba International Station's cross-border supply chain has launched a "free-to-ship" line for toys for the first time , charging only by product weight, which can save merchants 50% of logistics costs. During the "June Cross-border Trade Service Festival", in addition to toys, "industry belt venues" will be added in key industries such as consumer electronics, clothing, furniture and gardening to provide targeted supply chain solutions and reduce merchant costs: transport 5 containers of goods at the cost of 4 containers.

"Foreign trade exports are growing against the trend, and we need to help merchants deliver their orders with certainty and stability." Wang Tiantian, head of the cross-border supply chain at Alibaba International Station, told reporters that the platform has also teamed up with logistics ecosystem partners to launch a freight line that "guarantees space and containers, and compensation for lost containers"; during the entire "June Cross-Border Trade Service Festival", merchants can make limited reservations on popular North American freight routes including destinations in the East and West Coast of the United States, the Gulf Coast of the United States, and Canada, and ensure space within 21 days.

Zhang Kuo, vice president of Alibaba Group and general manager of the international site, said that the purpose of the platform is to solve the most difficult part of cross-border B2B, allowing merchants to focus on products, enhance their own value, and achieve branded overseas expansion and high-quality development.

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