Little treasures

'Drawing' cards are a gu zi item popular with young enthusiasts. They cost as little as 5 yuan ($0.70) and come in "blind "packs containing five to 10 different character cards. Liu said their affordability and the uncertainty of not knowing what is inside the pack until it is opened and cards are drawn, make them attractive to younger children.

"I once saw a very cute, little boy coming to our shop. He gave me 5 yuan for a pack of cards, containing his favorite characters from My Little Pony (anime)," said Liu.

Children often gather in the mall to show and exchange their cards. "They skip a cup of milk tea and use the money to buy cards. It's a new way of communicating among young children," he said.

Pins and cards are also used to decorate "ita" bags, which are usually covered with badges and dolls to showcase a favorite anime character.

However, some of the rare cards can sell for thousands of yuan per pack, leading to parents and teachers being concerned about youngsters becoming obsessed with them.

"Banning them may not be the best solution as anime-themed cards often serve as popular conversation topics among children," Liu Bo, a researcher at Zhenhai District Education and Science Institute in Ningbo, Zhejiang province, told China Education Daily.

"It is important for parents and educators to offer proper guidance, empathize with the children, and explain the commercial logic involved," Liu said, adding the industry needs to be regulated.

Rita, 19, from Yichun city, Jiangxi province, was introduced to gu zi by her high school classmates, when they took her to shop in a stationery store. She was hooked, and bought cards and stickers with her favorite anime characters on them.

After she came to Beijing in September to study Portuguese at China Communication University, Rita learned more about gu zi culture thanks to her new classmates.

Her preference is for sports anime featuring strong characters and "hotblooded plots".

"When I go to gu zi shops and buy gu zi, it feels like meeting my friends from the 2D world in the 3D world," she said, adding she loves buying small items such as key chains and badges, and putting them on her bags.

Before traveling she locates the gu zi shops in the cities that she and her friends want to visit. "Other destinations, such as restaurants and tour sites, are all planned based on the locations of gu zi shops," she said.