Elves disguised as middlemen snap up electronic toys, giving a boost to exports in 2015

Floating above one of many lanes in the crowded Yiwu Small Commodities Market in Zhejiang province, a balloon shark is "swimming" in the air, waving its tail. Unlike traditional balloons that float whichever way the wind blows, the shark responds to a remote controller.

The toy was a hit with middlemen who did their pre-Christmas shopping months ago in the market that boasts to be the world's largest seller of mass-manufactured retail shop goods. Electronic toys like the shark, or cars that transform into robots as they scoot around, are the big items this year.