From "product going global" to "brand going global", a new trend of CPOP is sweeping the world with great momentum. CPOP previously referred solely to "Chinese pop music", but has now become a diverse collection of Chinese pop culture that encompasses various fields such as technology, trendy entertainment, gaming, film and television, and novels.

The "Chinese style" that combines cultural connotations and trendy charm is moving towards the world.

The 'cultural fusion' behind a doll

In the early morning of Sydney, Australia, a long queue formed at the entrance of a shopping mall just to grab a Chinese brand product; In South Korea, young people had a public dispute over rushing to buy this Chinese product; In the United States, toy stores are robbed late at night, and the thieves are still targeting this Chinese doll.

This doll with its own magic that fascinates the world is "Labubu", a mischievous and cute Chinese doll with sharp teeth, vertical ears.

Whenever Pop Mart launches a new "Labu Bu" series of designer toys, they always sell out quickly.

According to the first half of 2025 performance report released by Bubble Mart in August, the revenue in the Asia Pacific region was 2.85 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 257.8%; The revenue in the Americas region was 2.26 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1142.3%; Revenue in Europe and other regions was 480 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 729.2%.

However, as a trendy toy product, it still requires some ingenuity to win the favor of overseas consumers.

Germany, Spain, Italy, the United States, Japan, South Korea... Bubble Mart has opened offline stores in over 20 countries and regions worldwide; The Louvre Museum in France, Oxford Street in the UK, Siam Square in Thailand... Many famous landmark attractions can see Pop Mart themed stores and pop-up shops; Singapore's Merlion, Thailand's Golden Thread Costumes, Halloween Parties... There are endless regional themed designs featuring "Labubu".

Unlike many Chinese brands that focus on "cultural output", Pop Mart has adopted a more proactive and flexible "cultural integration" strategy: signing contracts with more than 200 artists from around the world to break through cultural barriers and bring consumers from different countries closer emotionally.

Some economists have pointed out that the popularity of "Rabbu" reveals the trend of the rise of the "emotional economy". It has become an important outlet for young people to release stress with its unique image of being "non mainstream"; Users can not only experience unboxing video sharing, but also express their creativity through secondary innovation, and form interactive communities on social platforms.

A game inspired 'cultural breakthrough'

If the "Labbu" represents the high-profile sailing of Chinese fashion, then Black Myth: Wukong is a more intuitive cultural journey to the west.

On August 20, 2024, the 3A action role-playing game "Black Myth: Wukong," set against the backdrop of "Journey to the West," set off a phenomenal trend worldwide upon its release.

On the day of its debut, it topped the bestseller list on multiple foreign gaming platforms. After three days of release, global sales exceeded 10 million copies, and even Tesla CEO Elon Musk turned himself into "Wukong" with AI tools.

Due to the close connection between the story system of "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Journey to the West", foreign players may encounter cultural barriers when they first enter the game. They couldn't understand why Sun Wukong had to transform into a small insect, and had no concept of Sun Wukong's core ability of "seventy-two transformations".

But it is precisely this cultural barrier that has stimulated the enthusiasm of foreign players to actively explore.

In the "Black Myth: Wukong" community on Reddit, players from all over the world have posted different language versions of "Journey to the West", including Chinese English bilingual versions, English versions, and Russian versions, with a wide variety of translations; Some players also found the 86th version of the TV series "Journey to the West" on video platforms, and gave themselves a "cultural crash" before the game, just to understand every detail in the game.

In addition, there are increasingly more short videos online explaining Journey to the West. Players from all over the world are approaching this charming Eastern story in their own way.

On December 12, 2024, at the 2024 Game Awards Ceremony, "Black Myth: Wukong" received four major nominations, including Game of the Year and Best Game Director, ultimately winning the "Best Action Game" and "Player Voice" trophies.

The New York Times believes that the popularity of "Black Myth: Wukong" and "Rabbu" worldwide is not accidental, as they are powerful proof of China's continuous improvement in soft power.

In the Global Soft Power Index released by the British brand evaluation agency "Brand Finance" this year, China climbed from third place in 2024 to second place, surpassing the UK for the first time and second only to the top ranked US.

From 'Technology Following' to 'Innovation Leading'

In addition to the continuous improvement of soft power, China's smart hardware brands are also developing from "technology following" to "innovation leading".

For example, the Insta360 X5 panoramic camera from Yingshi has shown strong market appeal on its first day of release this year. It not only topped the hot selling lists on multiple global e-commerce platforms, but also won the first place in single product sales on Amazon's US, Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and eight other country sites.

In addition, according to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, China's automobile exports will reach 5.859 million units in 2024, continuing to rank first in the world with a year-on-year growth rate of 19.3%. Among them, the performance of new energy vehicles is particularly impressive, with BYD's export volume alone reaching 433000 units, a year-on-year increase of 71.8%. As of September this year, BYD's new energy vehicles have covered six continents worldwide, with a total of about 116 countries and regions.

From cutting-edge technology to new energy vehicles, Chinese manufacturing is opening up new horizons and gaining new recognition on the international stage with its hard power in technological innovation.

As Peter Fiske, a British business strategist, said, "China has become a leader in technological innovation

Whether it's brands like "La Bu Bu" and "Black Myth: Wukong" that rely on their cultural core and unique style to attract global fans, or brands like Yingshi and BYD that occupy the market with their technological strength, the impressive performance of these brands shows that a new "Chinese style" is sweeping the world. We believe that there are more innovative and powerful Chinese brands that are ready to make a name for themselves and will make a splash.