China Focus: World embraces "cool" Chinese creativity with zeal

BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Right beside the Louvre in Paris, a limited-edition Mona Lisa-inspired collectible toy known as Labubu was fueling a buying frenzy at a store of Chinese toy giant Pop Mart.

Also, in Times Square, New York, the fiery-wheeled Ne Zha appeared on a giant screen earlier this year, kicking off a wave of overseas screenings of this Chinese animated hit.

Additionally, at the ongoing Expo 2025 in Osaka, China-chic interactive experiences such as a Wukong with artificial intelligence (AI) at the China Pavilion have attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors within just a month of its opening.

Notably, an increasing number of creative and diverse Chinese cultural products have become global sensations in recent times. Empowered by this trend, China's cultural presence abroad is undergoing a paradigm shift while unveiling a youthful image, with many overseas audiences expressing admiration for how "cool" the country is becoming.

LABUBU'S GLOBAL REACH

At the Pop Mart store in K11 Art Mall in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in south China, long queues form regularly. Thai tourist Bonn patiently followed the crowd and finally secured her shopping fix after nearly 30 minutes of waiting. During her trip to Hong Kong, she had spent around 3,000 Hong Kong dollars (about 382 U.S. dollars) on merchandise.

"Wherever I go, I always visit the local Pop Mart to stock up," Bonn said. She especially adores the cute Labubu character and has collected hundreds of differently costumed figurines since getting hooked last year.

"I dress the figurines up and even take them traveling with me," she added.

Recently, this sharp-toothed, rabbit-eared forest sprite has gained global popularity. Stores frequently sell out, while prices surge in secondary markets. According to Pop Mart, thanks to original IPs like Labubu, the company's overseas revenue in the first quarter of 2025 had surged by 475 to 480 percent year on year.

Created by a Hong Kong artist and blending Nordic mythology with Chinese design, Labubu has struck a global emotional chord. Thai authorities labeled it an "Amazing Thailand Experience Explorer," its theme song was sung on the streets of Barcelona, and it was even "invited" to attend Milan Fashion Week.

"Great intellectual properties (IPs) have the power to transcend cultures," said Chen Xiaoyun, vice president of Pop Mart International Group Limited, adding that the company is committed to creating IPs with diverse aesthetics and gathering global creativity.

"The export of such new mass culture shows the world what a 'Cool China' looks like, while offering universal appeal that resonates through cultural creativity," wrote Zhang Yiwu, a professor at Peking University.

TECH-DRIVEN CULTURAL INNOVATION

The video game "Black Myth: Wukong" is another recent cultural phenomenon from China that is yielding international acclaim. Not long after the game was released, a reaction clip posted by British gaming streamer "itsjavachip" went viral, as she was moved to tears by the emotional storyline of Bajie in the game, earning her a fanbase of Chinese followers.

Last month, "itsjavachip" was invited to China to visit the production set of another original martial arts-themed Chinese game. At the studio, she learned martial arts moves, donned a black outfit and experienced wire-assisted motion capture firsthand.

Calling it an "absolutely amazing" experience, she said that playing a character in the game would be a dream come true.

Employing cutting-edge simulation technologies, "Black Myth: Wukong" immerses players in scenes such as ancient buildings in Shanxi and the picturesque landscapes of the Jiangnan region. As of the end of last year, the game had sold 28 million copies worldwide, generating over 9 billion yuan (about 1.24 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue within five months of its release.

In 2024, domestically developed Chinese games generated actual overseas sales revenue of more than 18.55 billion U.S. dollars, marking a year-on-year increase of 13.39 percent. The success of Chinese games abroad highlights the dual driving forces of traditional culture and intelligent digital technology.

In the realm of traditional culture, digitization is also breaking geographical barriers and becoming a "digital window" helping global audiences to better understand China.

As of May this year, the Palace Museum had digitized about 52 percent of its collection; the flying apsaras of Dunhuang "dance gracefully" on the screen through digital technology; the Zenghouyi chime bells are "struck" in a digital world...

"I can directly scan artifacts and learn relevant information through it," said Italian blogger Massimo, who couldn't help but exclaim while holding the AR guide at Henan Museum.

Such "coolness" can help China's content industry attract a wider global audience, said Kevin Kelly, founding executive editor of Wired magazine.

FROM CONNECTION TO CO-CREATION

Through China's cultural exports, global audiences are not only able to connect and empathize with their content, but are also co-creating something even bigger.

British web fiction writer JKSManga was initially a devoted reader of Eastern fantasy web novels such as "Soul Land." A few years ago, he registered on WebNovel, an online literature platform under China Literature Limited, and started writing his own works. His breakout series "My Vampire System" has garnered over 73 million reads and has been adapted into multiple formats.

For JKSManga, being urged by readers to update his stories is a source of great joy. He describes the writing process as a form of social interaction, a sharing based on shared values.

As of November last year, WebNovel had around 6,000 translated Chinese web novels and was home to nearly 450,000 overseas authors and 680,000 original works by overseas authors.

Hou Xiaonan, CEO and president of China Literature Limited, said that online literature has become a global cultural phenomenon, not only because of the global spread of Chinese IP, but also thanks to the globalization of the Chinese IP model itself.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiu, protagonist of the popular Chinese web novel "The King's Avatar," was recently "invited" by Swiss authorities to serve as a "travel ambassador," offering fans an innovative immersive experience.

Wei Pengju, senior researcher at the Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, said China's cultural trade has evolved into a hybrid export model of "digital content + IP operations + technological services," and that Chinese cultural exports have entered a new phase highlighting content, empowered by technology, and featuring co-creation.

Via such cultural interactions, with wider opening up, broader innovation and deeper cooperation, China stands ready to share with the rest of the world an ever-cooler China. ■