When heritage goes viral: How China's youth are writing a new chapter for ancient crafts

On November 11, 2024, after a four-year hiatus from the internet, Li Ziqi – a phenomenal millennial Chinese short-video creator – made her comeback with new content. In one video, she used the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) technique of Chengdu lacquerware to refurbish a wardrobe for her grandmother. Within just five hours of its release, the video amassed over 100 million views on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, surpassing 10 million views on international platforms like YouTube within two days. The exquisite Chinese lacquer artistry left both domestic and international audiences in awe. In another video, dressed in a handmade, bright yellow Shu brocade baidie (a hundred-pleated) skirt, she once again presented the beauty of Chinese ICH to the world in her uniquely aesthetic style.

Li Ziqi is not the only young person devoted to promoting and preserving intangible cultural heritage. With the rise of short-video formats and social media platforms, more and more young people are weaving ICH into everyday life in creative and personal ways. According to Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok), over the past year, 14 million users have shared their ICH experiences, with those videos garnering a staggering 749.9 billion views. Among them, youth-driven content – such as combining the Bian Lian (face-changing) art of Sichuan Opera with internet memes – has surged in popularity. Clearly, digital platforms and new technology are playing a key role in narrowing the gap between younger generations and traditional cultural heritage.

Born in 1997, Bai Ziyi is another one of these young inheritors. The former overseas student returned to her hometown of Chongzhou city, Sichuan province in 2020 to start her own business. Carrying on the craft of Daoming bamboo weaving from her father, Bai Jingbo, she is dedicated to bringing this traditional art into the modern marketplace. By designing products that appeal to the aesthetics of younger generations, she helps integrate the craft into their daily lives. Her bamboo-woven hibiscus brooches, for example, have amazed many foreign tourists. Today, Bai Ziyi is actively organizing a series of ICH exchange events, hoping to bring more innovative heritage products into the public spotlight.

This trend of heritage rejuvenation has also found its way into primary school campuses. At Jiaozi Primary School in Chengdu, students, despite their young age, have already become "little inheritors" of various ICH skills. They brought their own handmade Shu embroidery and Shu brocade works to the stage at the 9th International Intangible Cultural Heritage Festival held in Chengdu from May 28 to June 1, 2025. According to Deng Xiaobei, a teacher at Jiaozi Primary School, students can choose different ICH projects to study based on their interests, with Shu embroidery being one of the most popular. The students begin by raising silkworms, observing them spin silk and form cocoons, thereby understanding the origins of Shu embroidery. By learning about sericulture, they are introduced to traditional Chinese silk weaving techniques, gradually cultivating a passion for the craft. From learning the techniques to creating their own original works, a student deepens their perceptual understanding of ICH through observation and practice, naturally embedding the consciousness of cultural inheritance into their learning and daily lives.

From sparking interest on school campuses to pioneering innovation in the market and capturing widespread global attention, Li Ziqi, Bai Ziyi, and the students of Jiaozi Primary School vividly illustrate the same trend – the rejuvenation of intangible cultural heritage is, at its core, the contemporary expression and innovative transformation of its cultural value. As tens of millions of young people become experiencers, consumers, creators, and promoters of ICH, these ancient skills are no longer relics in need of "rescue," but have transformed into a vibrant cultural movement. Driven by the power of youth, this wave is continuously injecting new, future-oriented vitality into China's rich traditional culture. 

(Cover via CFP.)