Happy Hens owner Yvonne Sutherland said it was "really wonderful" that a delegation organiser had invited her to provide the hens as gifts.
"They're like Dunedin's little ambassadors."
This would be the highest-profile international exposure the hens had received since Happy Hens began operating about 25 years ago.
The late trade unionist, peace campaigner and MP Sonja Davies had, during an overseas farewell trip before retiring as an MP in 1993, left some of the hens as gifts at New Zealand embassies in Europe and some other parts of the world, she said.
Happy Hens come in several sizes and colours, and during the delegation visit next week will be provided as pairs of gifts to each of 18 senior Chinese dignitaries in Shanghai.
Some of the gifts comprised paired sets of red ancona roosters and hens, and all gifts would be provided in boxes tied with red ribbons.
In China, red was considered the colour of prosperity and joy, and the hand-crafted hens had a universal appeal, she said.
One of the Otago delegation leaders, Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin, said that, over the years, Happy Hens had become recognised in Dunedin as a kind of symbol of the city.
They were a "little bit different" and would bring a smile to the face of Chinese sister city officials and other dignitaries.
