The global success of video game Black Myth: Wukong and animation blockbuster Ne Zha: Demon Child Conquers the Sea, or Ne Zha 2, both based on ancient Chinese myths, provided new channels for international audiences to understand and appreciate Chinese culture. Their success is also an encouragement for others to create Chinese intellectual property (IP) for international audiences.

IP development has undergone explosive growth in China in recent years. Video games, movies, TV dramas and toys such as the viral Labubu doll marketed by Beijing-based designer toy company Pop Mart are now among the main carriers of cultural IP. Behind the growing popularity of Chinese IP is the country's growing cultural confidence.

Cultural confidence refers to a people's appreciation of, and recognition of, the value of its own culture. China is currently in the midst of a revival of cultural confidence and the development of Chinese IP is closely related to the younger generations' growing enthusiasm for traditional culture and international exchange.

China's unbroken cultural narrative stretches back thousands of years, with ancient myths, historical stories, philosophical thought and traditional arts providing practically inexhaustible materials for IP creation. The innovative interpretation of the mythological Chinese character Ne Zha in Ne Zha 2 and the game world created by Black Myth: Wukong, based on the classic novel Journey to the West, are just two drops in an ocean of inspiration on offer to modern creatives.

With the rapid development of the Chinese economy and the continued growth in the role China plays in the international community, global understanding of Chinese culture is increasing, creating favorable conditions for the sharing of Chinese IP. Elements of traditional Chinese culture such as wushu (martial arts), Peking opera, calligraphy and the culture surrounding pandas and the Great Wall are widely recognized across the world, making it easier for overseas audiences to appreciate Chinese IP based on these elements.

It's hoped that as more Chinese cultural icons gain recognition overseas, they will become a major force for the sharing of Chinese creativity, as well as platforms for exchange among fans from around the world. Like their international counterparts, China's many epic sagas, sages and heroes are an as of yet largely unopened treasure trove of inspiration as new generations navigate, make sense of and attempt to shape the changing world around them.