BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday unveiled its first national policy document for silk, tea, porcelain and other centuries-old industries, as part of efforts to leverage the country's rich cultural heritage and build strong global brands.
By 2028, the country aims to cultivate 50 enterprises with annual revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan (about 1.48 billion U.S. dollars) each, Xie Yuansheng, vice minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), told a news conference.
The document also calls for 100 Chinese consumer brands and several industrial clusters with annual output exceeding 100 billion yuan to be developed by 2028, he added.
By 2030, these industries are expected to produce a group of world-class enterprises and renowned brands, while moving toward the mid- to high-end of the global value chain, according to the document issued by the MIIT and five other government departments.
In addition to the industries mentioned above, the document also covers traditional Chinese medicine, brewing, arts and crafts, and the "four treasures of the study" -- writing brush, ink stick, paper and inkstone -- all deeply rooted in Chinese culture and traditions dating back centuries or even millennia.
Representative sectors of these traditional industries boast about 25,000 enterprises above the designated size, employing nearly 3.5 million people and generating about 8 trillion yuan in annual revenue, according to Xie.
Historically, these products traveled along ancient trade routes as far as Central Asia, the Mediterranean and even Africa, carrying Chinese craftsmanship and culture far beyond the country's borders.
In recent years, the appeal of Chinese culture overseas has continued to rise. Content creators around the world are making aspects of Chinese culture part of their daily lives -- from drinking hot water and wearing slippers around the house to eating Chinese food and wearing red.
The document also comes as China seeks to translate its rich cultural heritage into greater market competitiveness.
About 90 percent of China's silk products are exported, but mainly as raw materials or original equipment manufacturer goods, with domestic brands having limited pricing power in the global market, said Feng Haicang, an official with the MIIT's consumer goods industry department.
"Our challenge is to make sure these time-honored crafts are not only admired but also commercially successful, and to restore these historic Chinese products to their rightful place at the high end of international markets," said Feng.
China will hold the first national exposition of time-honored industries in east China's Hangzhou City in late October, Xie said.
AI is expected to play an important part in boosting these industries, according to the document. The technology will be used to digitize traditional craft knowledge, decode traditional production processes and improve efficiency and product quality on factory floors.
In silk weaving, AI-assisted design can now generate thousands of patterns in minutes, said Xie.
A DEEP POOL OF CRAFT KNOWLEDGE
These industries draw strength from China's vast intangible cultural heritage, which provides a deep reservoir of craft knowledge, skills and cultural creativity for their continued development, said Shan Gangxin, an official with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, at the news conference.
Traditional arts, crafts and medicine, Shan noted, share deep roots with industries like silk, tea and porcelain, and have evolved alongside them.
China now has 45 elements inscribed on UNESCO's lists and register of intangible cultural heritage, including silk craftsmanship, acupuncture and tea-processing techniques. More than 100,000 items are also recognized on national, provincial, prefectural and county-level intangible cultural heritage lists.
In July, the Jingdezhen Handicraft Porcelain Industry Sites were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The country's large pool of skilled practitioners is also a solid base for industrial development. More than 200 universities have taken part in training programs for intangible cultural heritage practitioners over the past decade, benefiting more than 200,000 heritage inheritors, said Shan.
The economic potential of traditional skills is already clear in the way they have been adapted to today's markets.
Willow weaving in Linyi, east China's Shandong Province, for example, has evolved from a craft once best known for making baskets and hampers into a wide range of contemporary products, from stylish cultural and creative products to playful items such as cat climbing frames.
The industry now has more than 300 patents and over 20,000 product designs, with its products reaching more than 80 countries and regions, according to Shan.
Traditional craftsmanship is also finding new channels and audiences. This summer, creative products featuring hemp weaving, Huzhou writing brushes and Zhuang brocade were officially licensed for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
By the end of 2025, China had 14,900 intangible cultural heritage workshops, supporting employment and higher incomes for more than 1.3 million people, Shan said. Enditem
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