A farmer dries freshly harvested loofah sponges in Fulong township, Jiujiang, East China"s Jiangxi Province. File photo: VCG

　　Chinese plush toys, new-energy vehicles and robots often grab global headlines. Beyond the spotlight, however, many unassuming Chinese exports are quietly making great gains in markets around the world.

　　Recently, 14,040 specific pathogen free (SPF) eggs, also known as "diamond eggs" and prized as a critical raw material for vaccine research, took off from Beijing Daxing International Airport and landed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

　　In the first half of 2026 alone, exports of Beijing-produced SPF eggs topped 400,000 units, soaring 254 percent year-on-year. Their export value exceeded 3.8 million yuan ($563,364), up 166 percent year-on-year. Both figures already surpassed the full-year total for 2025, according to statistics from the Beijing customs.

　　"Diamond eggs" are not alone. Many processed farm goods from various regions across China, ranging from loofahs to new corn-based synthetic fibers to "icy persimmons," are reaching consumers in many countries and regions around the world, with rising export volumes.

　　Behind the headline numbers lies a quiet change: China is no longer content to ship out raw apples, live fish, or unprocessed grain. It is climbing the value chain - turning farmyard staples into high-value, shelf-ready products for markets around the world, Zhu Qiucheng, CEO of Ningbo New Oriental Electric Industrial Development, told the Global Times.

　　New e-commerce stars

　　In Shangcheng County, Central China"s Henan Province, the loofahs once lived a quiet life next to the stove - serving as kitchen scrubbers. Today they are a cross-border e-commerce star.