Hi,
try to create database in utf8mb4_unicode_ci / utf8mb4_general_ci collation. Then import database from sql file.
You can also try to import database via MySQL Workbench
https://www.mysql.com/products/workbench/ or some MySQL "admin tool" (Navicat, HeidiSQL, ...)
Which version of the MySQL server do you use (5.6/5.7/8.x)?