Citywide anime celebration begins: 100+ events, 1,000+ merch items

There was a climax of excitement as the first Shanghai Summer International Anime Month kicked off on July 4 at the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing — located in Shanghai's Putuo district.

Running from now to Aug 10, the anime month features more than 100 themed activities and over 1,000 limited-edition anime merchandise items, promising a vibrant celebration of the anime, comics, games and novels — collectively known as ACGN event.

The event is expected to draw exhibitors from 37 countries and regions across a massive 400,000-square-meter exhibition space.

With Shanghai as the hub, it will extend throughout the Yangtze River Delta region and gradually expand to global markets — supporting both the import and export of content in the flourishing anime and gaming sectors.

A major highlight is the citywide ACGN map, which links 81 anime-themed landmarks — including shopping areas, themed restaurants, hotels, exhibitions, pop-up stores and live performances — into a comprehensive anime journey.

Eighteen major shopping areas and themed hotels are joining forces to offer fans immersive experiences featuring creatively decorated "itasha" — meaning "painfully flashy" in Japanese slang — cars, boats, planes, islands, hotels and even metro trains.

The itasha goodies are vehicles and objects extravagantly covered with anime imagery — part of a vibrant subculture that is now transforming parts of Shanghai into real-life anime playgrounds.

At the heart of the anime month is the 2025 China International Cartoon and Game Expo or CCG EXPO, which also opened from July 4 to 6. The three-day expo hosted 480 exhibitors from around the world — including Japan, the Philippines, Mexico, Nepal, Singapore, France and Russia.

For the first time, the expo included an international tabletop game elite tournament, bringing together more than 100 game designers and nearly 300 creative studios.

The expo also stretched beyond its main venue, making use of its riverside location to launch a Suzhou Creek anime corridor that blended urban renewal with pop culture.

The anime month is expected to attract over one million domestic and international visitors, further cementing Shanghai's reputation as a rising global anime hub.

Organizers aim to turn this cultural surge into long-term economic momentum — offering a dynamic example of how culture, tourism, commerce, sports and exhibitions can work in harmony.