Garage kits, apple of ACG fans' eyes, flourish in Guizhou

Garage kits produced by Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co. CHINA DAILY

At a factory in Bijie, Guizhou province, workers are rushing to produce figures called garage kits that have become so popular that consumers have to wait one and a half years to get them.

The handmade figures — traditionally purchased as kits in stores — are carefully displayed in the show windows of manufacturer Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co, and look no different from plastic toys.

Garage kits produced by Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co. [Provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

However, for those who have indulged themselves in the 2D world of ACG — animation, comics and games — these 3D figures are collectibles more precious than gold.

ACG fans, many of whom are young, often develop a strong attachment to virtual characters, whom they regard as idols, friends, partners or family members. Garage kits bring characters on pages or screens to reality, making them lifelike and touchable. That's why enthusiasts are willing to pay tens of thousands of yuan to buy them.

Garage kits produced by Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co. [Photo by Chen Meiling/chinadaily.com.cn]

Bijie Moon's top-selling figures include characters from Japanese anime series One Piece and Neon Genesis Evangelion; Japanese virtual singer Hatsune Miku; Zhao Ling'er, heroine of the domestic video game series Chinese Paladin; and prince Xie Lian from Chinese cartoon Heaven Official's Blessing.

General manager Wang Dongyang said the company is cooperating with the copyright owners of famous cartoon and game characters. The average price of a figure is about 1,500 yuan ($210).

Workers from the Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co produce garage kits in February. [Photo by Fan Juncen/for chinadaily.com.cn]

"As socioeconomic development continues, more people are looking to fulfill spiritual needs after their material ones have been satisfied. Garage kits, a kind of craft, can meet the demand for artistic appreciation," he said. "It's like attending a concert performed by your favorite singer. It may cost 7,500 yuan to listen to music for two and a half hours, but you think it's worth it."

A garage kit is assembled by factory workers using 200 to 300 components, with some complicated ones requiring as many as 700 pieces, each of which needs to be polished and colored. The entire process to make a new figure — from obtaining approval from copyright holders and designing the figures to making molds and going into large-scale production — can take up to a year. Customers might need to wait as long as 18 months after placing an order.

Workers from the Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co produce garage kits in February. [Photo by Fan Juncen/for chinadaily.com.cn]

"So we pay a lot of attention to quality because customers will have high expectations," he said.

The company produces about 200,000 figures annually and had an output value of 110 million yuan last year. Exports raked in 24 million yuan in 2022.

In the first half of this year, Bijie Moon's exports surpassed total figures from all of last year, reaching 30 million yuan. Half of its products are sold in the domestic market.

"We expect the domestic animation market to grow in the next 20 to 30 years, as the country's long history and rich culture offer a broad pool for creation. And we expect the company, together with others in related industries, to benefit from this trend," he said.

Workers from the Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co produce garage kits in February. [Photo by Fan Juncen/for chinadaily.com.cn]

A few years ago, Bijie Moon's parent company, Dongguan Moon Group, had planned to open a new factory, along with its four factories in Guangdong province, to increase production as the number of domestic orders continued to grow.

In January 2021, the Bijie subsidiary was established after Dongguan Moon made an investigative trip to the city in Guizhou. The move contributed to the cooperating mechanism between Guangdong and Guizhou, as part of a nationwide program to encourage economically developed regions to help and support developing ones.

Wang said the city is very friendly for labor-intensive companies. The standard industrial factory Bijie Moon uses, with an area of 23,500 square meters, was already built and furnished as part of the city's efforts to attract investment before the company claimed it.

Workers from the Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co produce garage kits in April, 2022. [Photo by Gu Jingxuan/for chinadaily.com.cn]

In addition, thanks to the highly efficient government, it took only a month to start production after signing the agreement on the factory. Wang said government workers also visited the site to offer services, which saved him a lot of time.

At the factory, workers keep busy molding, polishing, assembling, painting and packaging garage kits. The average monthly salary is about 4,500 yuan, with 20 percent of the employees earning over 6,000 yuan. About 95 percent of its workers are from Bijie, which has helped boost local employment, and about 80 percent of them are women.

Garage kits produced by Bijie Moon Crafts and Arts Co. [Photo by Chen Meiling/chinadaily.com.cn]

Li Zixuan, a 25-year-old resident, used to work at the parent company's Dongguan factory. She was happy to return to her hometown in March 2022. Her monthly pay is 6,000 to 7,000 yuan.

"It became much more convenient to take care of my elderly family members and my child. I am quite satisfied," she said.