China's soft power surge

For decades, China’s role in the global economy was straightforward: manufacture at scale and speed. “Made in China” became shorthand for industrial efficiency rather than cultural influence. But that equation is shifting.

A new wave of cultural exports, from blockbuster video games, designer toys to wellness rituals and social media aesthetics, is reshaping how global audiences perceive China. Analysts are calling this shift “China Shock 2.0” or even “3.0”: a moment when Chinese companies and creators are not just manufacturing goods but manufacturing global tastes.

The timing is notable. According to VML Intelligence data, 76% of people globally say their cultural tastes are becoming more international, rising to 83% among Gen Z. As global audiences increasingly consume content across borders, Chinese culture, once niche or misunderstood, has found a receptive global audience.

Entertainment is emerging as one of the clearest channels for China’s growing cultural influence.

The global success of the action RPG Black Myth: Wukong, released in 2025 by Hangzhou-based studio Game Science, marked a milestone moment. Inspired by the Chinese classic Journey to the West, the game reimagines the Monkey King myth with cinematic storytelling and advanced gameplay. Within days of launch, it topped Steam’s global sales chart, becoming the first Chinese-developed title to achieve that milestone.

“We didn’t want to imitate Western fantasies,” Game Science CEO Feng Ji told VML Intelligence. “We wanted to show the world that our mythology—our Sun Wukong—is just as rich and universal as any hero from Greece or Scandinavia.”

The success of Wukong, alongside animated hits like Ne Zha (both 1 & 2), signals a shift: Chinese creators are increasingly exporting their own cultural narratives rather than adapting to Western ones.

We didn’t want to imitate Western fantasies. We wanted to show the world that our mythology—our Sun Wukong—is just as rich and universal as any hero from Greece or Scandinavia.

Feng Ji

CEO, Game Science

Beyond entertainment, elements of everyday Chinese lifestyle are also entering global internet culture.

A TikTok trend known as “Chinamaxxing” shows Western creators experimenting with Chinese habits, from drinking warm fruit-infused water to practicing longevity exercises or wearing Tang-style jackets. Posts often use captions like “you met me at a very Chinese time in my life,” reframing once-overlooked cultural details as symbols of wellness and modern living.

For some observers, the trend reflects a generational shift in cultural curiosity. Younger audiences raised on global platforms such as TikTok and YouTube are increasingly comfortable blending cultural references from different parts of the world. Meanwhile, as Caroline Ouellette, a research staff member at UCLA, told state broadcaster CCTV, the online image of China reflects precisely what many Americans worry they are losing: community, structure, capability, cultural continuity and care for the elderly.

Side-by-side product photo of a brown Loewe handbag and a black-and-tan Loewe sneaker on colorful backgrounds for their Year of the Horse collection.

Giant brown plushy bear-face beside a POP MART display case filled with small boxed figures in front of windows.

Close-up of an armored fantasy warrior with ornate gold shoulder plates; the face is blurred.

Loewe Year of the Horse collection, courtesy of Loewe.
Crybaby, one of the popular characters from Pop Mart, courtesy of Pop Mart.
Black Myth Wukong, courtesy of Game Science.

This cultural momentum is translating into consumer brands with global appeal while designer toy company Pop Mart illustrates the shift. Founded in Beijing, the company has grown into a global phenomenon with more than 350 stores worldwide and a passionate collector community. Characters such as Labubu, Molly and Crybaby have become icons of a new design language emerging from China, one that blends street culture, art and emotional storytelling.

“We’ve moved from selling products to selling culture. Our goal is to share Chinese culture with the world through our creations,” Wang Ning, founder of Pop Mart told Xinhua News Agency in an interview.

International brands are beginning to engage with that cultural momentum as well. Adidas’s Tang-style jackets and Nike’s increasingly elaborate Lunar New Year collections demonstrate how global companies are drawing on Chinese aesthetics not simply for localization, but as inspiration for global audiences. Loewe has taken things a step further. For its Year of the Horse collection, the brand collaborated with Shanghai Animation Film Studio to launch a promotional short film with a distinctly oriental aesthetic. Often described as “China’s Disney,” the studio is renowned for its animation classics rich in Chinese cultural motifs and artistic traditions.

Taken together, these signals point to a deeper transformation in global cultural power. China’s influence is no longer confined to infrastructure, technology or manufacturing. It is increasingly visible in stories, aesthetics and everyday lifestyle rituals.

The Intelligence Take

Soft power today travels through culture, fandom and digital communities, not just trade routes. Brands that treat Chinese culture as a creative collaborator, not simply a market, may find themselves better positioned in a world where cultural influence is becoming increasingly multipolar. And if the global popularity of Wukong, Labubu and Chinamaxxing is any indication, the next phase of globalization may be defined less by what China makes, and more by what the world wants to imagine through it.

Main image: Crybaby, a popular Pop Mart collection, launched a global exhibition tour starting in Shanghai this January. Courtesy of Pop Mart.