What Powers Chinese Traditional Crafts to Go Global? | 2026 ICIF

By Yang Yulai, SFC, 21st Century Business Herald

The 2026 China International Cultural Industries Fair (ICIF) kicked off in Shenzhen on May 21 and runs until May 25. A handmade bag that has gone viral worldwide recently has appeared on the ICIF . 

On May 14, the youngest son of Tesla CEO Elon Musk appeared at the Great Hall of the People, wearing a neo-Chinese vest and carrying the Guangxi intangible cultural heritage tiger-head bag—a moment that unexpectedly took global social media by storm, with the product’s sales surging more than tenfold overnight.

While such delicate Chinese intangible cultural heritage items have gained rapid overseas fame, the question remains: behind the viral buzz, how is China’s cultural and creative industry faring on its journey to go global?

Chief Producer: Zhao Haijian

Supervising Producer: Li Yanxia

Editor: He Jia, Li Yingliang 

Reporter: Yang Yulai

Video Editor: Li Qun

Poster Design: Zheng Jiaqi

New Media Coordination: Ding Qingyun, Zeng Tingfang, Lai Xi, Huang Daxun

Overseas Operations Supervising Producer: Huang Yanshu

Overseas Content Coordinator: Huang Zihao

Overseas Operations Editors: Zhuang Huan, Wu Wanjie, Long Lihua, Zheng Quanyi 

Produced by: Southern Finance Media Corp.