M&G

M&G, commonly known in China as Chenguang Stationery, is the principal consumer-facing stationery brand of Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. It is one of China's most widely distributed domestic stationery brands, serving school, study, household and office-use occasions. Its range includes pens and refills, notebooks, paper products, school bags, art materials, adhesives, erasers, rulers, correction products and other learning and office supplies. The business traces its corporate history to the late 1990s, with the operating company established in Shanghai and headquartered in Fengxian District. The brand developed from a writing-instrument manufacturer into a broader stationery platform through product design, manufacturing, distribution and retail-channel development. Its red-and-black M&G identity and the recurring idea of continuous creativity helped it combine mass-market accessibility with themed, fashionable and culturally differentiated products. A major part of M&G's growth model has been channel density. Rather than relying only on national advertising, the company built a large network of branded stationery stores and distributor-supported retail outlets, using shop signs, packaging, displays and frequent product introductions as points of brand communication. Historical marketing materials described this approach as making the entire distribution system a communications platform. The company later expanded into larger-format lifestyle retail through concepts including M&G Life Hall and Jiumu Zashishe, offering stationery, creative goods and household lifestyle products in more experience-oriented settings. M&G has repeatedly created or popularized product concepts linked to specific use occasions. Its examination-pen category, introduced in the mid-2000s, addressed the needs of students preparing for high-stakes examinations. The company also organized its office range around a group of products sometimes presented as the “seven office pens,” covering writing, finance, business signing, meeting notes, whiteboard use, highlighting and desk use. These concepts helped translate a fragmented product assortment into easy-to-understand purchasing occasions. The brand has also used licensed characters, cultural institutions, art and seasonal themes to move beyond basic functional stationery. Examples mentioned in brand and campaign materials include collaborations or themed products associated with The Little Prince, One Piece, the British Museum, Van Gogh imagery, Chinese opera, Confucian Temple examination blessings and other cultural subjects. Such activity positions stationery as both a practical tool and a form of self-expression, collecting and lifestyle consumption. M&G's business scope broadened further through enterprise procurement. In 2012, the group established Keli Pu, a business serving government, institutional and corporate customers with digitally enabled procurement and a broader range of office and industrial supplies. The group also acquired or integrated office-distribution assets, including the Chinese business associated with Office Depot, and in 2019 announced the acquisition of a controlling stake in Anshuo Educational Supplies. These moves shifted the wider listed company from a pure consumer stationery manufacturer toward a combined consumer-brand, retail and business-procurement group. The company listed in Shanghai in 2015. In 2022, it changed its corporate name from Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. to M&G Shares, reflecting the increasing importance of businesses beyond traditional branded stationery, while M&G remained the central consumer brand. In the mid-2020s, company communications continued to emphasize nearly 70,000 branded retail terminals, product upgrades, sustainability-oriented ranges, cultural collaborations and youth-focused experiences.

M&G's corporate history begins in Shanghai in the late 1990s, when the business developed as a writing-instrument and stationery manufacturer. It gradually expanded from pen production into a broad branded portfolio covering school, office and creative-use products. The company combined manufacturing and product development with a highly distributed retail model, allowing the brand to reach consumers close to schools, residential areas and office districts. During the 2000s, M&G emphasized product concepts that organized everyday stationery around recognizable occasions. Its examination pens, first introduced in 2004 according to company-related marketing materials, became an important category associated with high-stakes school examinations. The company also developed a structured office range, including writing, finance, business signing, meeting, whiteboard, highlighting and desk pens. Marketing and packaging treated each product as a communication device, while branded stores and distributor outlets extended the identity into local communities. The brand's creative strategy broadened through themed collections, licensing and cultural collaborations. Character merchandise, novels, art imagery, seasonal designs and Chinese cultural themes made stationery more visually distinctive and helped M&G appeal to students and young consumers beyond purely functional performance. The company also used public-relations events, such as examination-blessing themes connected with Confucian culture, to associate products with important life moments. In 2006, materials describing the M&G Caravan program presented the company as taking its distribution system into county and rural markets. This reflected a wider strategy of supporting channel partners and extending branded availability beyond major cities. The retail network became both a sales system and a form of outdoor brand media, with shopfronts, product displays, posters and regular new-product rhythms reinforcing recognition. M&G entered enterprise procurement through the creation of Keli Pu in December 2012. Keli Pu served government agencies, institutions and corporate customers through integrated procurement, eventually covering office supplies, MRO products, promotional goods and employee benefits. The group later strengthened this business through office-distribution transactions, including the 2017 acquisition of the Chinese Office Depot-related operation and associated customer and service resources. The company received regulatory approval for its public offering in late 2014 and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on January 27, 2015. The listing provided capital for writing-tool manufacturing, materials and technology research, and expansion of the marketing network. In 2019, M&G announced the purchase of 56% of Anshuo Educational Supplies, bringing the target into the consolidated group and supporting its student-stationery strategy. As consumer behavior changed, M&G developed larger-format and lifestyle-oriented retail concepts, including M&G Life Hall and Jiumu Zashishe. These stores expanded the role of stationery into creative goods, household products and giftable lifestyle merchandise. At the same time, the group continued to develop the enterprise-procurement business as a second growth platform alongside its traditional consumer stationery operations. Marketing in the late 2010s and 2020s increasingly targeted younger consumers through cultural IP, seasonal collections, social-media interaction and experiential stores. Examples included Van Gogh-inspired products, The Little Prince and One Piece collaborations, British Museum-related products, Chinese-opera collections and seasonal lines such as the Peach Party range. Examination-season communication used a supportive, companion-like tone, presenting M&G pens as practical tools and emotional partners for students. In 2022, the listed company adopted the name M&G Shares, signaling that its business had expanded beyond the M&G stationery brand. The consumer brand nevertheless remained central to writing tools, student products, office supplies and retail. More recent company communications have emphasized environmental products, including writing tools using recycled plastic, cultural and science-themed stores, support for rural art education and a nationwide branded retail network approaching 70,000 locations. In 2026, the group disclosed plans to pursue a Hong Kong listing for Keli Pu, illustrating the continuing separation of its consumer stationery identity from its enterprise procurement platform. M&G Stationery traces its origins to 1997, when the business was established as Shanghai Sino-Korean M&G Stationery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The company later operated under the English-facing name Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. and developed the M&G Stationery brand for a broad range of writing and stationery products. Rather than concentrating on one product type, M&G built an assortment spanning ballpoint pens, marker pens, erasers, glue, correction fluid, sticky notes, pencil leads, pen refills, schoolbags, and other school and office supplies. This range places the company in the general stationery sector, serving routine educational, office, and personal-use requirements. The available historical material does not document a complete sequence of factory expansions, major acquisitions, leadership changes, or individual product launches, so those developments cannot be dated reliably here. Contemporary reference descriptions place the company in Shanghai’s Fengxian District, specifically the Guangming Economic Zone. The business has also established M&G Stationery Pte Ltd in Singapore, indicating an overseas corporate foothold. The supplied sources do not provide enough information to determine the subsidiary’s exact activities, market coverage, or financial contribution. Chinese business commentary from 2009 and 2010 discussed M&G’s distribution and business development, portraying the company as an example of a stationery manufacturer that had grown beyond a small-product niche. These accounts are useful evidence of the brand’s commercial profile at that time, but the supplied material does not establish precise sales figures, market share, or the detailed channel structure behind its growth. In 2023, World Brand Lab placed M&G 371st in its China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands ranking. This recognition supports the brand’s visibility in China, although it is a brand-value ranking rather than a direct measure of revenue or profitability. Overall, the documented history is that of a Chinese stationery manufacturer founded in the late 1990s, expanded around a wide everyday-use product portfolio, and maintained a prominent domestic brand presence with at least one Singaporean subsidiary. M&G is a Chinese stationery brand associated with Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. The supplied materials identify it broadly as a stationery and writing-instrument brand but do not provide a reliable, source-backed chronology of its creation, early corporate development, brand architecture, or major milestones. As a result, a precise founding year and founder are not recorded here. The brand's observable market role is that of a broad-based everyday stationery provider. Its assortment addresses the recurring needs of students, teachers, families, office workers, and general consumers. Writing instruments form a central part of the identity, while adjacent categories extend the brand into paper goods, school equipment, office supplies, correction products, storage accessories, and creative stationery. This category expansion is commercially significant because stationery purchases are often complementary: a consumer buying pens may also buy notebooks, pencil cases, erasers, folders, rulers, or markers. M&G's positioning reflects the structure of China's stationery market, where large-scale distribution and a high-frequency, low-unit-price assortment are important competitive assets. Products must be available in convenient retail locations and online channels, while also offering sufficient design and functional variety for different age groups and use occasions. School-season demand, routine office consumption, and the replacement cycle of inexpensive writing tools all support this type of portfolio. The brand is presented through the supplied website, mg-pen.com, and is linked in the available dossier to Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. However, the supplied source material does not verify a detailed corporate history, a complete list of subsidiaries, specific distribution arrangements, international markets, or the identity of current and former executives. No reliable material was supplied for notable advertising campaigns, scandals, lawsuits, recalls, acquisitions, or documented strategic decisions. Those areas remain open for future source-based research rather than being filled with unverified claims.

• 2026

  Keli Pu Hong Kong listing plan announced

  [9]Keli Pu Hong Kong listing planfinance.sina.com.cn

  The group disclosed plans to explore a Hong Kong listing for Keli Pu while retaining control.

• 2023

  Placed in China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands

  [14]M&G Stationeryen.wikipedia.org

  World Brand Lab ranked M&G 371st in its 2023 China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands list.

• 2022

  Listed company renamed M&G Shares

  [5]M&G's second growth curveside.cuhk.edu.cn

  The corporate name changed from Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. to M&G Shares to reflect a broader business portfolio.

• 2020

  Chenguang continues nationwide store expansion and invests in e-commerce and new retail channels amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2019

  Anshuo stake acquired

  [4]M&G acquisition of Anshuo Educational Suppliesvip.stock.finance.sina.com.cn

  M&G announced the acquisition of a 56% stake in Anshuo Educational Supplies.

• 2017

  Office Depot-related Chinese business acquired

  [5]M&G's second growth curveside.cuhk.edu.cn

  Keli Pu acquired the Chinese Office Depot-related operation, expanding enterprise procurement customers and capabilities.

• 2017

  Chenguang accelerates its 'one-stop stationery' retail concept and expands into office supplies and lifestyle goods under the M&G brand.

• 2015

  Shanghai Stock Exchange listing

  [2]Shanghai M&G Stationery listing announcementcsrc.gov.cn

  The operating company listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under ticker 603899.

• 2015

  Chenguang Stationery Group lists on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (ticker 603899), raising capital to expand production and retail.

• 2012

  Keli Pu established

  [5]M&G's second growth curveside.cuhk.edu.cn

  M&G established Keli Pu to develop enterprise and institutional procurement services.

Showing the 10 most recent.

An accessible, design-led Chinese stationery brand combining dependable writing performance, broad school and office coverage, frequent themed launches and emotionally resonant youth marketing. Mass-market Chinese stationery brand offering broad, practical products for students, offices, and everyday writing.

• Writing instruments

  Writing instruments

  M&G's core range includes gel pens, ballpoint pens, mechanical pencils, fountain and ink-related products, refills, desk pens and other everyday writing tools. Products are positioned across school, examination, household and office settings, with emphasis on smooth writing, reliability, appearance and use-specific design. Writing instruments are the core visible category associated with M&G. The broad group includes everyday pens and other tools used for handwriting, schoolwork, office tasks, and general note-taking. The brand's assortment is positioned for frequent replacement and broad consumer access rather than for a narrowly defined specialist audience.

• Student stationery · 2004

  Examination pens

  The examination-pen range is designed around the needs of students taking major written examinations. Products such as the MG-666 are associated with smooth and continuous writing, while newer products such as Little Fenbei emphasize quiet operation for examination rooms, libraries and study spaces.

• Office stationery

  Office pen range

  M&G organized a prominent office assortment around seven use cases: general office writing, finance, business signing, meetings, whiteboards, highlighting and desk use. The structure helped communicate different functional roles to office buyers and distributors while supporting the brand's expansion beyond student stationery.

• Student stationery

  Student stationery

  The student range includes notebooks, paper products, pencil cases, school bags, erasers, rulers, correction tools, adhesives, clay and related classroom accessories. The portfolio combines basic school necessities with themed and licensed designs intended to support personalization and collection.

• Art materials

  Art and creative materials

  M&G sells drawing and art-related materials alongside its general stationery range. These products support school art education, hobby use and creative expression, and are also used in cultural or seasonal collections that give the brand a more lifestyle-oriented identity.

• Creative stationery

  Themed and licensed collections

  Themed collections use art, seasonal motifs, cultural heritage and licensed entertainment properties to add visual and emotional value to ordinary stationery. Reported examples include Van Gogh-inspired designs, The Little Prince, One Piece, British Museum-related products, Chinese opera and seasonal peach-themed products.

• Writing instruments

  Ballpoint pens

  Ballpoint pens are a core part of M&G Stationery’s general writing range. They serve routine handwriting needs in schools, offices, and homes and represent the brand’s emphasis on practical, widely used stationery rather than a narrowly specialized product category.

• Writing instruments

  Markers

  M&G’s marker products extend its writing portfolio beyond everyday ballpoint use. The supplied references identify marker pens as part of the company’s product range, but do not specify individual marker formats, intended applications, or launch dates.

• Student stationery

  School supplies

  The school-supply assortment includes products such as erasers, pencil leads, correction fluid, sticky notes, and schoolbags. Together these products address classroom, homework, organization, and carrying needs, complementing M&G’s writing instruments. The wider school and office range includes everyday articles such as correction tools, erasers, rulers, folders, storage items, pencil cases, and related accessories. These products address routine organizational and classroom requirements and reinforce M&G's broad-assortment retail model.

• Stationery consumables

  Adhesives and correction products

  Glue and correction fluid are identified among M&G Stationery’s products. They serve common school and office tasks involving paper assembly and written-error correction. The available sources do not identify specific formulas, packaging families, or product-generation histories.

• Office and study supplies

  Sticky notes

  Sticky notes form part of the brand’s note-taking and organization offering. Their inclusion broadens M&G’s scope from writing tools into everyday office and study accessories, although the supplied sources do not provide details about formats, sizes, or launch chronology.

• Writing consumables

  Pencil leads and pen refills

  Pencil leads and pen refills support the continued use of writing instruments and make the brand’s range more consumables-oriented. These products fit M&G’s broad stationery model, but the reference material does not specify compatibility, technical specifications, or individual product introductions.

• School and writing supplies

  Pencils and mechanical pencils

  Pencils and mechanical pencils serve classroom, drawing, drafting, and everyday writing needs. They complement M&G's broader writing-instrument portfolio and are relevant to students and office users who require erasable or refillable writing tools.

• Writing and creative stationery

  Markers and highlighters

  Markers and highlighters extend the brand into color coding, presentation, study organization, labeling, and creative use. These products fit both school and office settings and support the brand's emphasis on variety within everyday stationery.

• Paper stationery

  Notebooks and paper products

  Notebooks and related paper goods provide writing surfaces for students, office users, and household consumers. They are natural complementary products for pens and pencils and help position M&G as a broader stationery supplier rather than only a writing-instrument label.

• 2023

  Source

• 2022

  Source 1Source 2

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• 2023Hold This Ray of Light

  China

  An examination-season communication used the image of light and the pen as a symbol of hope, effort and personal achievement.

  Outcome. The message extended M&G's longstanding companion-oriented examination positioning into a broader emotional and values-based narrative.

  Source
• 2022Decisive Battle at the Exam Summit

  China

  M&G promoted the Little Fenbei quiet-click pen and other examination products through an animated martial-arts commercial, online product seeding and examination-season encouragement activities.

  Outcome. The campaign sought to reinforce M&G's association with examination preparation and connect with younger consumers through anime-style storytelling.

  Source
• 2019Chinese opera and fashion-media collaboration

  China

  M&G used the four traditional Chinese opera role categories as inspiration for a cultural stationery collection and combined the launch with fashion-media collaboration and augmented-reality elements.

  Outcome. The activity presented traditional culture through a younger, interactive product format.

  Source
• 2018Peach Party limited collection

  China

  A summer-themed stationery collection used peach imagery across pens, notebooks, loose-leaf products, paper tape, erasers and correction products, supported by social-media interaction and a themed retail store.

  Outcome. Campaign reports described strong fan participation and rapid sales of several collection items.

  Source
• 2010M&G office-seven-pens positioning

  China

  M&G grouped office writing products into a recognizable set of seven functional pen types, using product architecture as a marketing and purchasing guide.

  Outcome. The initiative supported M&G's entry and recognition in the office stationery market.

  Source
• 2010Confucian Temple examination-blessing series

  China

  M&G connected examination pens with traditional Chinese educational culture through a Confucian Temple blessing theme and related public-relations activity.

  Outcome. The program differentiated examination stationery through cultural symbolism and ceremonial participation.

  Source
• 2006M&G Caravan

  China

  A channel-support and field-distribution program intended to extend M&G's branded presence from cities into county and rural markets.

  Outcome. Campaign materials describe the program as strengthening distributor relationships and expanding physical coverage.

  Source

• 2026

  Prepare Keli Pu for a Hong Kong listingStrategy

  Background

  The group sought to give its enterprise digital-procurement business a more independent operating and capital-markets platform.

  Action taken

  M&G Shares announced plans to explore a listing of Keli Pu on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange while retaining control.

  Aftermath

  The plan was presented as a way to support Keli Pu's supply-chain and digital development without abandoning the group's consumer stationery business.

  Source

• 2022

  Rename the listed company M&G SharesStrategy

  Background

  Enterprise procurement, retail stores and other activities had become increasingly important alongside the traditional stationery business.

  Action taken

  The listed company changed its corporate name while retaining M&G as its consumer stationery identity.

  Aftermath

  The new name clarified the distinction between the corporate group and the consumer-facing stationery brand.

  Source

• 2019

  Acquire 56% of Anshuo Educational SuppliesM&A

  Background

  The company aimed to strengthen its student-stationery portfolio and implement its product-focused strategy.

  Action taken

  M&G agreed to acquire a 56% controlling stake in Anshuo Educational Supplies.

  Aftermath

  Anshuo became a controlled subsidiary and was included in consolidated reporting.

  Purchase price. RMB 193.2 million (2019 transaction)

  Source

• 2017

  Acquire the Office Depot-related Chinese operationM&A

  Background

  M&G wanted to deepen direct enterprise sales and add customers, personnel and procurement capabilities.

  Action taken

  Keli Pu acquired the relevant Chinese operation and obtained associated trademark and domain-use rights under the reported arrangement.

  Aftermath

  The transaction expanded the group's business-to-business customer base and supported its second growth platform.

  Source

• 2015

  List on the Shanghai Stock ExchangeStrategy

  Background

  The company required capital to expand writing-tool manufacturing, materials and technology research, and its marketing network.

  Action taken

  Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. completed its A-share listing under code 603899.

  Aftermath

  The listing provided a public-company platform for investment in consumer stationery, retail and enterprise procurement.

  IPO proceeds. Gross proceeds of RMB 789 million (2015 IPO)

  Source

• 2012

  Enter enterprise procurementStrategy

  Background

  The company sought growth beyond consumer stationery and identified institutional and corporate purchasing as a separate expansion opportunity.

  Action taken

  It established Keli Pu to provide integrated digital procurement and broader office-supply services.

  Aftermath

  Keli Pu became a major business platform serving government, financial, corporate and other enterprise customers.

  Source

• 1997

  Establishment as Shanghai Sino-Korean M&G Stationery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.Other

• Establishment of Singaporean subsidiary M&G Stationery Pte Ltd.Other

• 2026

  M&G announced a proposed Hong Kong listing of Keli Pu[9]Keli Pu Hong Kong listing planfinance.sina.com.cn

  M&A · Other

  The group announced plans to explore a Hong Kong listing for its enterprise digital-procurement subsidiary while retaining control of the business.

• 2023

  M&G ranked among China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands[14]M&G Stationeryen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  World Brand Lab ranked M&G 371st in its 2023 list of China’s 500 Most Valuable Brands.

• 2022

  M&G launched the “Decisive Battle at the Exam Summit” examination-season campaign[6]M&G examination-season campaigndigitaling.com

  Campaign · Product launch

  The campaign used an animated martial-arts visual style, examination-use products and online and offline encouragement activities to connect with Chinese high-school examination candidates.

• 2019

  M&G acquired a controlling stake in Anshuo Educational Supplies[4]M&G acquisition of Anshuo Educational Suppliesvip.stock.finance.sina.com.cn

  M&A

  The company announced an agreement to acquire 56% of Anshuo Educational Supplies to strengthen its student-stationery product strategy.

• 2015

  M&G Stationery listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange[2]Shanghai M&G Stationery listing announcementcsrc.gov.cn

  Other

  Shanghai M&G Stationery Inc. began trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange under code 603899.

1. 1M&G Shares overviewzh.wikipedia.org
2. 2Shanghai M&G Stationery listing announcementcsrc.gov.cn
3. 3M&G official websitemg-pen.com
4. 4M&G acquisition of Anshuo Educational Suppliesvip.stock.finance.sina.com.cn
5. 5M&G's second growth curveside.cuhk.edu.cn
6. 6M&G examination-season campaigndigitaling.com
7. 7M&G brand and product strategy casehuayuhua.com
8. 8M&G youth and sustainability marketing overviewcaijing.chinadaily.com.cn
9. 9Keli Pu Hong Kong listing planfinance.sina.com.cn
10. 10晨光文具mg-pen.com
11. 11晨光文具mg-pen.com
12. 12晨光文具mg-pen.com
13. 13晨光股份zh.wikipedia.org
14. 14M&G Stationeryen.wikipedia.org
15. 15M&G Stationery’s channel-driven developmentmoney.163.com
16. 16M&G: Building a large enterprise from small stationery productsmoney.163.com
17. 17Legal specialist recruitment reference for Shanghai M&G Stationery Co., Ltd.pkulaw.com
18. 18M&G Stationery official websitemg-pen.com
19. 19M&G Caravan distribution programpinpaicehua.net
20. 20Peach Party limited collectiondigitaling.com
21. 21晨光三款激光笔、翻页笔抽检标记项目不合格cqn.com.cn
22. 22晨光三款激光笔、翻页笔抽检标记项目不合格news.qq.com
23. 23门店向幼儿销售盲盒被暗访曝光m.gmw.cn