How Chinese Culture Is Winning the World

Something remarkable is underway in global entertainment. Chinese cultural products, from video games steeped in ancient mythology to the global Labubu craze, are captivating international audiences.

This marks a profound change in how cultural products succeed internationally. For years, the prevailing wisdom was that brands needed to make their products feel familiar to Western consumers, often by using universal themes or Western-sounding names to enter new markets. This approach was considered best practice for achieving global appeal.

The current success of Chinese cultural products, however, demonstrates a major change. Today’s most successful brands are resonating with international audiences not by hiding their origins, but by making their distinctive cultural narrative a core part of their brand identity.

This pivot toward authentic expression aligns with a growing global appetite for distinctive and genuine storytelling. As a result, cultural heritage has become a key source of value and a competitive advantage on the world stage.

Take for example “Black Myth: Wukong,” a video game based on Chinese mythology. It sold 25 million copies globally, with 30% of those sales – 7.5 million copies – coming from outside China. That’s nearly as many sales as the blockbuster “The Last of Us Part 2.”

“Black Myth: Zhong Kui,” the second installment, released its first teaser trailer last month, racking up almost 3 million views on YouTube. Western gamers clearly want these fresh tales from Chinese folklore.

Similarly, “Ne Zha 2” defied Hollywood thinking about subtitled films in North America earlier this year, earning over $20 million during its run.

Labubu toys exemplify this trend, seamlessly integrating modern design with inspiration drawn from mythology and folklore. As products conceived and manufactured in China, their authentic cultural provenance has proven to be a significant asset, resonating with a global audience that includes celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Blackpink’s Lisa.

This growing cultural impact has not gone unnoticed. International media, including The Economist, have taken note, asking in a recent feature: “Has China become cool?”

The evidence would suggest so. The drivers behind this shift are multifaceted, encompassing a global appetite for novelty, evolving consumer tastes and sophisticated marketing strategies. A critical factor, however, is the unique value proposition these products offer: In a global market where many established franchises face creative saturation, Chinese cultural products provide a fresh and original narrative perspective.

Western entertainment companies are struggling with creative risk-aversion. In film, longstanding box office franchises, particularly the superhero genre, are showing serious signs of audience fatigue. Box office revenues are currently declining after years of dominance.

This trend extends to the gaming industry, where executives have warned of a stifling aversion to risk. A significant percentage of major game releases underperforms, a phenomenon often attributed to market consolidation and ballooning budgets. This financial pressure prioritizes proven formulas and monetization strategies over originality and innovation.

The result is a discernible market appetite for fresh narratives and original IP. This environment presents opportunities for Chinese cultural products, which are increasingly entering the global stage with two distinct advantages: a rich, untapped reservoir of cultural heritage and a focus on novel content that resonates with audiences seeking authenticity.

Games like “Black Myth” and films like “Ne Zha” are steeped in thousands of years of Chinese mythology. Most consumers outside China haven’t heard these stories before, which creates built-in novelty.

You can see this in the reviews. Entertainment website Imagine Games Network praised “Black Myth” for its “refreshingly unique” Chinese cultural setting, while The Guardian newspaper described it as “authentic even to viewers unfamiliar with the story.”

Real innovation is another factor. We hear plenty about Chinese innovation in electric cars and electronics, but the same applies to culture. For instance, Labubu’s blind-box collecting – where shoppers buy mystery boxes without knowing which character they’ll receive – is a genuine business model twist.

This innovative spirit is perhaps best exemplified by the rise of Chinese micro-dramas, which represent something even bigger: a completely new form of storytelling. Episodes run just a few minutes, are designed for mobile apps, and the shows are already conquering global markets.

China’s leading overseas short drama apps reported $151 million in revenue from the U.S., accounting for 64.8% of total income last year. Hollywood studios have duly taken note and are now scrambling to work out how to get a piece of the action.

The global success of Chinese cultural products is proving a simple truth: Authenticity and innovation are the most valuable creative currencies. The trend represents a fundamental shift in the entertainment industry, forcing companies to raise standards.

By leveraging their unique cultural heritage, Chinese creators have not just entered the global market – they have expanded its very possibilities. They are demonstrating that a substantial audience exists for unique stories and formats, helping expand the horizons of what global entertainment can be.

This new trend benefits everyone. It pushes creators to be more daring and original, and it offers global audiences an unprecedented diversity of high-quality content. The result is a brighter, more creative future for the entire entertainment sector.

Jay Ian Birbeck is a freelance writer based in Guangzhou.