Traditional culture breathes anew under youthful innovation

At a time when voices can easily be lost in the overwhelming volume of online information, many young people in China are finding new ways to make themselves heard.

In the recently completed web novel When the Curtain Falls by 26-year-old writer Wang Huaiyu, elements of intangible cultural heritage, including traditional Chinese opera, lion dance and Suzhou (Jiangsu province) embroidery, are woven into a story that has drawn more than 66 million views.

Wang is among a group of young writers incorporating traditional cultural elements into online literature, a genre that has gained wide readership in recent years. He previously drew widespread attention with an earlier work that garnered more than 100 million views and was later adapted into an animated series.

The success reflects a broader trend in China, where a new generation is rediscovering traditional culture not by preserving it behind museum glass, but by reimagining it through web novels, animation, fashion, and social media.

With China's 14 to 35 population expected to remain around 350 million by 2030, young people are increasingly viewed as a key force driving technological innovation, industrial transformation and cultural creativity. Cities including Beijing and Shanghai have also rolled out measures to support youth entrepreneurship and innovation in cultural industries.

Wang says he incorporates extensive elements of traditional Chinese culture in his work, from world-building and naming systems to character design, describing tradition as the "root and foundation" from which creators draw inspiration and reinterpretation.

He devoted considerable time to studying traditional Chinese opera and consulting experts, including a renowned inheritor of Suzhou embroidery.

"Like many young people of my generation, I became interested in traditional culture after spending a lot of time learning about it," Wang says, adding that as the internet continues to expand its reach, young people are becoming increasingly open to traditional culture.

Wang's success story is not scarce in the field of online literature, which has gained a growing international reach. The narratives of defying fate and chivalry, along with restrained yet powerful forms of emotional expression, are both distinctively Chinese and accepted globally, says cultural scholar Li Hao.

In 2025, Lantern Festival Joy, a Song (960-1279) Dynasty-themed novel by Wang Yurong, in her 30s, was adapted into a micro-drama translated into multiple languages, including English, French and Vietnamese, attracting more than 30 million overseas views.

Abroad, the original creator community now exceeds 1.3 million people, producing more than 2 million works with overseas market revenue reaching 5.64 billion yuan ($834.6 million), according to a 2025 report.

Beyond online literature, similar shifts are visible in cultural entrepreneurship.

Driven by the belief that "old treasures should adapt to modern life," Shi Yi, an entrepreneur from Suzhou born after 1995, has built a career reinventing Song brocade, a silk textile known for its intricate craftsmanship. Inscribed on UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009, the art form's revival has been driven not only by traditional artisans but also by a new generation of innovators like Shi.

Inspired by a "digital motif archive" at the Suzhou Silk Museum, Shi selects classic patterns, such as cloud motifs, scrolling floral designs and bird-and-flower imagery, and reinterprets them into products ranging from handbags and cushions to notebooks and even tea tables.

"We must recognize that today's lifestyles are very different from the past," Shi says, adding that the key is creating modern applications that encourage people to use and wear these cultural products in their daily lives.

Innovation has also expanded the boundaries of the industry itself. Shi's tailor shops morphed into a silk brand with annual sales approaching 5 million yuan. Recently, her silk brooch collection, inspired by ancient Chinese women playing polo, was showcased in Paris and received wide acclaim.

China's cultural and creative industries have expanded alongside such individual efforts. The sector reached 99.98 billion yuan in 2024, up 7.98 percent year-on-year. Products tied to cultural IPs have also seen strong sales in recent years, including a phoenix-crown fridge magnet that has sold more than 1 million pieces annually and a game skin inspired by Dunhuang motifs with sales exceeding 40 million pieces.

Young Chinese today are increasingly using social media and digital storytelling to connect cultural heritage with wider audiences. A 2025 report by China Youth Daily found that 88.7 percent of young respondents were willing to promote Chinachic culture, while 91.4 percent said that more China-chic IPs would gain international reach.

Scholars have pointed to a shift in mindset fueled by economic affluence. China's post-2000 generation, having grown up during a period of rapid national development, possesses the confidence to engage with the world on equal footing, Hu Xianzhong, a professor at China Youth University of Political Studies, notes in an article.

This confidence is increasingly expressed through the global presence of hanfu, traditional music and other cultural forms, he says.

Ma Ruomeng, a Chinese designer based in Italy, often performs the pipa (four-stringed lute) in traditional attire in the streets of Milan during her spare time. She also participates in local cultural exchange events, introducing audiences to traditional Chinese folk music.

Since 2023, Ma has also been recording her street performances and posting them online. "Music is my way of communicating with the world," she says, adding that she hopes to experiment with rock and other modern genres, using music to connect people from different cultural backgrounds.

According to a 2025 ByteDance report, more than 870,000 creators with over 10,000 followers posted content related to intangible cultural heritage on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, while the number of post-2000 users producing such videos rose by 63 percent year-on-year.

Liu Yajing, a content creator who focuses on recreating traditional craftsmanship and has over 20 million followers across platforms, says the key to promoting intangible cultural heritage lies in "authentic experiences and genuine storytelling".

She hopes to serve as a bridge between audiences and cultural heritage, inspiring viewers of her videos to further explore the essence of traditional culture on their own.