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SCMP

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest stories about China’s soft power this year. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.
1. Labubu, soft power of a stealthy ‘ugly-cute’ sort, takes on America
The Chinese-made dolls, a playful global megahit, give Beijing an opportunity to make inroads into deep US distrust.
2. ‘Huge shift’: why learning Mandarin is losing its appeal in the West
Available figures suggest enthusiasm for learning Mandarin abroad is waning after years of rapid growth, with analysts pointing to China’s economy and image problems.
3. Palace intrigue conquers global screens: has China cast its new soft power?

As overseas fans binge on Chinese hit streaming shows, slick productions could boost country’s image on the global stage, experts say.
4. How DeepSeek could give China the soft power edge it’s looking for
Since its rapid rise, the Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has faced considerable scrutiny from some Western countries but that is unlikely to be the case in the Global South where observers say it offers great potential.
5. ‘It’s super impressive’: tourists flock to China as ‘cyberpunk’ cities go viral

Social media hype about China’s “futuristic” technology and urban infrastructure is attracting a growing wave of foreign tourists.
6. How Chinese lifestyle brands are finding fans abroad with toys, tea and trends
From milk tea to blind boxes, China’s lighter consumer brands are winning worldwide recognition – though time will tell if the craze will last.
7. China targets Gen Z, millennials in new strategy to build its brand in Africa

China is betting on a new generation of digital influencers and content creators to reshape its image in Africa, which observers have said is a major shift as Beijing looks to refine its “soft power” campaigns.
8. RedNote’s influx of ‘TikTok refugees’ could be a double-edged sword for Beijing
The influx of American “TikTok refugees” onto the Chinese social media app RedNote may feed into some of Beijing’s main talking points, but could also pose a challenge for China’s censors.
9. China’s Ne Zha 2 still flying high as highest-grossing animated movie of all time

Gone are the days when Chinese filmmakers were left scrambling to recreate the economic success of foreign offerings such as Kung Fu Panda.
10. Why Chinese grass-roots culture may be finally taking its place in the limelight
From web literature to video games, Chinese culture is winning fans abroad, where state-sponsored soft power initiatives have fallen flat.
11. Addictive China micro-dramas show how commercial demand fuels netcasting boom
China’s online video and audio industry, especially in lucrative micro-dramas, is expanding its influence both domestically and abroad, with the market size surging to 1.22 trillion yuan (US$168 billion) in 2024, according to officials and industry insiders.


Has China just ended the end of history?

China urged to forge ‘spear’ for cognitive warfare amid great power rivalry

Why are modern Chinese audiences shying away from dubbed films?

What’s fuelling the surge in South Koreans travelling to China?

China’s soft power

From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year China’s soft power went mainstream?

Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

 Illustration: Henry Wong

Chongqing has become known as China’s “cyberpunk capital”. Photo: Getty Images

Kenyan social media influencers (from left) MC Jessy, Betty Kyallo, Terence Creative and Mulamwah during their visit to China. Photo: Instagram

Tourists pose for photos with a wall painting featuring the hit animated film “Ne Zha 2” in Dongfeng Village in east China’s Shandong Province on March 1, 2025. Photo: Xinhua

From railways to Labubus: China’s businesses and their 50-year trip abroad

A container is unloaded onto a truck at a port in Kenya. The expansion of the port and a connecting railway was undertaken with Chinese support. Photo: Xinhua

The Tazara railway connecting Tanzania and Zambia was built in the 1970s with Chinese financing. It was an early example of a model of Chinese infrastructure project that would be replicated across the world over the following 50 years. Photo: Shutterstock

China launches plan to improve TV and mini-dramas amid soft power push

People attend a screening of Ne Zha 2 in Beijing on February 16. State media have touted the animated film, calling it an important step in improving China’s soft power. Photo: Xinhua

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Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories


Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories.


From Labubu to blockbuster films, was 2025 the year China’s soft power went mainstream?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories

1. Labubu, soft power of a stealthy ‘ugly-cute’ sort, takes on America

2. ‘Huge shift’: why learning Mandarin is losing its appeal in the West

Chinese lifestyle brands and other cultural exports proved to be a hit around the world this year, here are some of our most notable stories