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Global Times: Chinese youth increasingly embrace, share millennia-old cultural traditions

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BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Li Ziyao, a young Chinese student studying in Boston, the US, recently completed Black Myth: Wukong, a game playing based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West.

He was excited that this game, rich in traditional cultural elements, has become a sensation in America too. As he observed his American classmates discussing the Monkey King, the architectural styles, and Chinese history, a strong sense of pride surged within him.

“I am witnessing firsthand how Chinese culture is being spread and understood globally in a novel and modern way,” Li told the Global Times.

Culture plays a vital role in inspiring national spirit, maintaining identity, and promoting both economic and personal development.

China’s achievements over the past 75 years are closely tied to its millennia-old culture and cultural confidence. Generations of young people with strong values and ethics worked to develop Chinese culture and present it to the world. 

Chinese civilization has thrived along with the open expression of young people. They relish and discuss with foreign friends China’s traditional culture, allowing it to resonate with international audiences. 

In ancient times, Chinese ancestors sailed the seas along the historical Maritime Silk Road, spreading Chinese culture toward the rest of the world.

Today, young people, especially Generation Z, are using unique ways to share Chinese culture with the world.

Set new trend

Li mentioned that one of the American Twitch streamers he follows, Zack, also known as Asmongold, a content creator with over 2.9 million YouTube subscribers, once commented that Chinese mythology has a natural freshness for Western players, sparking their desire to explore the unknown.

The cultural elements carried by Black Myth: Wukong are also reflected in its music. The game incorporates traditional Chinese melodies from the 1986 hit TV series Journey to the West soundtrack, including the iconic track Celestial Symphony in key scenes.

“Hearing Celestial Symphony evokes me an indescribable feeling of nostalgia. One of my American classmates told me that the music made him feel as if he were immersed in a world filled with the charm of ancient Eastern culture,” Li noted.

With the international success of Celestial Symphony, Li has noticed that many of his classmates have expressed their desire to learn traditional Chinese musical instruments, especially pipa, which embodies unique Chinese aesthetics.

In a recent interview, US musician Lauv commented on the beauty of pipa, while interacting with young pipa player Liu Jialiang, also known as Marsix.

During the interview, Marsix used pipa to perform Lauv’s breakout hit I Like Me Better. Lauv, who is also known as Ari Staprans Leff, is followed by more than 1 million fans on the platform known as X. 

The instrument’s sound, representing Chinese aesthetics, stunned the Western singer and left him with a look of amazement. Marsix’s performance has also revealed how the 2,000-year-old instrument remains versatile in playing global pop music. 

“I was thrilled to share our traditional music culture again,” the young player told the Global Times. He also emphasized that his journey with pipa has always been about “fusion.”

Since 2022, Marsix has been posting remixed pipa music that blends traditional Chinese melodies with Western genres like jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music. 

Through his fusion of traditional Chinese music, Marsix has captured the attention of international fans. On YouTube, netizens commented on Marsix’s performance, saying “the Chinese ‘guitar’ would set a new trend.” 

“I think the traditional instrument is a tool for us young Chinese musicians to express our open-mindedness to world music,” Marsix noted. 

Confident in his cultural roots, the young Chinese musician has also inspired many young fans in China to rediscover the beauty of traditional Chinese music. Marsix told the Global Times that most of his fans are in their 20s, and he hopes to guide them on a journey of rediscovering Chinese culture.

“In the past, the word ‘pipa’ would evoke images of classical performers, but now it represents a trendy instrument played by performers of all ages and genders. Young Chinese musicians are using their creativity to revive the tradition,” Zhu Xiao, a Chinese folk music fan and cucurbit flute player, told the Global Times. 

Dressed in confidence

For many in Generation Z, wearing Hanfu – traditional Chinese dress – is just like playing pipa as a way to reconnect with the cultural root and also a way to express cultural confidence.

Driven by strong curiosity about the world, Chinese storyboard artist Lei Yumeng, better known as Mi Lei, travels between reality and fantasy in her storyboard work. Nearly every piece of work she posts on social media becomes a hit. So far, the Chinese artist has more than 8 million followers on different platforms.

Lei’s love for Chinese culture extends to her admiration for Hanfu. She told the Global Times that through her paintings of Hanfu from various dynasties, she can explore the aesthetics and auspicious intentions of ancient Chinese people, as reflected in the clothing’s patterns and embroidery.

Lei’s embrace of Chinese cultural heritage has been recognized internationally, with her videos on platforms like Instagram earning praise for showcasing traditional clothing. This global appreciation has been a reminder of the richness of her motherland’s unique cultural roots, which she said she “has initially taken for granted.”

Lei said her work in animation and storytelling is a celebration of China’s cultural legacy, a legacy she is “proud to share with the world.”

 

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SOURCE Global Times

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Canton Fair Buyers Alliance Launched as the 140th Edition Opens

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4 hours ago

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October 18, 2026

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 15, the Canton Fair Buyers Alliance was officially launched at the Canton Fair Complex, marking a significant milestone as the fair celebrates the 70th anniversary of its founding.

More than 140 overseas buyers attended the launch ceremony, highlighting the fair’s enduring role as a bridge connecting global commerce with China’s export sector.

Speaking at the ceremony, Luís Vilariça, CEO of Joinco, Import & Export, Ltd., discussed his company’s long-standing relationship with the Canton Fair. Drawing on years of participation, he reflected on the growth opportunities created through cooperation with Chinese suppliers and highlighted the fair’s role in supporting international business development and global trade exchanges.

The ceremony also featured a joint declaration by alliance members. Representatives from five member companies read the statement in their respective native languages, underscoring the international character of the new organization. Additional members sent video congratulatory messages, joining the celebration and witnessing the official launch of the alliance.

The Canton Fair Buyers Alliance represents one of the fair’s key service innovations. Designed primarily for Fortune Global 500 companies, buyers from the world’s top 250 retailers and leading sourcing enterprises across a diverse range of markets, the alliance aims to offer members a platform for information sharing and resource coordination. The first cohort of alliance members includes 58 companies from 32 countries and regions across 5 continents. Through the alliance, members will gain access to a range of priority benefits spanning four major areas: services, events, resources and information.

 For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:

https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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SOURCE Canton Fair

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Bioethanol from human hair – Indian start-up’s solution to rising prices of grains and sugar

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5 hours ago

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October 18, 2026

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GUJARAT, India, Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — In what could be called the beginning of the 5G (fifth-generation) of bioethanol or non-cellulosic bioethanol or non-sugar-based biofuels, an Indian start-up, Techofest Global, based out of Gujarat, has developed its own, indigenous, and patented technology for the production of bioethanol from waste human hair. Such processes would significantly reduce the employment of sugars, grains, and agricultural residues, which form the classical first- and second-generation bioethanol feedstocks. As a result, the rising fuel-vs.-food/fodder debate is anticipated to reduce, and instead, ethanol produced from municipal/industrial waste, after trials, can supplement the current supply being used as blends with presently retailed fossil fuels (E20, E27, etc.). 

As stated by Dr. Ravi, the founder-CEO of Techofest Global, the strategic priority and the USP of the start-up is industrial symbiosis, which, typically, involves an ecosystem of up-cycling/valorising the effluents of an industry, thereby creating a value-chain for residues often lacking an end-of-life. With more than three decades of experience in designing customized nuclear fusion reactors for international programmes, such as ITER, JET/UKAEA and SST-1, Dr. Ravi, a seasoned mechanical engineer, spearheads the start-up’s patented technologies’ scale-up and commercialization.

Two biochemical engineers, Dr. Navnit – the former CTO, and Dr. Kabilan – the former CEO of Biomakerz, Chennai, are the brains behind the current technology/process portfolio of the joint-venture between Techofest Global and Biomakerz. They have been working on biorefineries’ process intensification for more than a decade. “Having foreseen the fuel-vs-fodder/food competition as early as the year 2015, we began developing techno-economically feasible and viable in-vitro metabolically-engineered bioprocesses for scaling-up ethanol production from municipal waste streams between 2019–2021”, says Navnit. After developing operational technologies for international biofuel organizations, serving process engineer roles with certain biorefineries-related OMC R&D’s of India, Dr. Navnit, presently works for a premier academic institution.

An on-going fermentation trial at the Techofest Global-Biomakerz JV’s R&D facility

Techofest Global has developed and tested, in its R&D JV’s pilot-facility of ~100-L, 3 innovative and cost-effective technologies, such as 5G ethanol production using human hair, used cooking oil (UCO), and enriched bio-methane production from disposed sanitary napkins.

“With massive CapEx and OpEx, 2G ethanol technology is facing a major commercialization bottleneck, owing to competition with food/livestock fodder, requirement of a cost-intensive pre-treatment procedure, and the requirement of cellulolytic cocktails, which have a poor recycle efficiency. The proprietary 5G SAFE process developed for the start-up circumvents the mentioned constraints, and instead, utilizes a single-stage saccharification followed by fermentation, and records over 85–90% biocatalyst recovery. Likewise, the proprietary SIM process for bio-methane production, exclusively developed for the start-up, is 2x faster with improved intermittent feeding cycles and continuous gas harvest”, says Navnit.

“With on-going pre-commercialization trials, the proprietary ethanol and bio-methane processes of ours are soon being commercialized”, says Ms. Bhumika, the co-founder and the corporate advisor of the start-up. Furthermore, Mr. Ronak pilots the organization’s global market entry and commercialization frontier.

Techofest Global’s veteran Principal Technology Advisors include: Dr VS Tripathi, former Joint Director, DRDE Gwalior, Dr B S Munjal, former Director, Structures and Thermal group, SAC/ISRO, Academician and Advisor CIKS-Dharohar, GTU, and Dr AV Santhanababu, former Scientist at Satish Dhawan Space Centre. With on-going R&D activities, Dr. Munjal says, “the start-up is striving to provide a unique solution along the lines of the Atmanirbhar and Viksit Bharat Vision 2047”.

Media Contact: www.techofestglobal.com; e-mail: info@techofestglobal.com; contact person: The PR team of Techofest Global.

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As AI Speeds Up Marketing, Louisville’s RedTag Bets on Strategy

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10 hours ago

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October 17, 2026

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Independent agency unveils new brand and website, and co-hosts Louisville’s PROOF AI Workshop

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Oct. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — RedTag, an independent Louisville-based marketing agency, this month unveiled new positioning, marking its evolution from a digital performance agency into a strategy-first marketing partner. The move comes as AI makes execution faster than ever, and RedTag is betting that strategy, not speed, is what will set businesses apart. Clients can now choose from outcome-based programs that best fit their marketing needs. 

“Clients don’t come to us needing more tactics. They come to us needing a path,” said Russ Renbarger, founder and CEO of RedTag. “Our new brand says out loud what our work has shown for years: We start with strategy and build everything on that foundation.”

RedTag built its reputation on high-performing paid digital campaigns. Over the years, the agency expanded into strategy, creative, video production and website development, giving clients one partner for the full scope of their marketing. Most recently, a team of automation specialists has integrated AI across the agency to speed up production and analysis, guided by an internal AI policy that keeps people accountable for quality. The time AI saves goes back into strategy: knowing what to say, who to say it to and why.

“Our best client relationships have always been partnerships, where we’re in the room when the big decisions get made,” said Alison Conway, chief client officer at RedTag. “This evolution is about bringing that strategic partnership to every client.”

On Oct. 14, RedTag co-hosted the PROOF AI Workshop with Slingshot, Vsimple and Advanced Business Solutions. The hands-on event gave Louisville business leaders practical experience applying AI to their own work. RedTag led the event’s AI in Marketing and Branding track, with four sessions ranging from AI search optimization to a playbook for adopting AI across an organization.

“AI can produce hundreds of ads in an afternoon, but it can’t tell you which one your brand actually needs and why,” Renbarger said. “The faster the tools get, the more valuable human-led strategy becomes.”

RedTag was named the agency of record for the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 2025. Its client list includes PGA of America, Castle & Key Distillery, Bourbon Barrel Foods, ShopCaterpillar and American Beverage Marketers. Since 2023, RedTag’s work has received two Emmy Awards and more than 35 ADDY and AIGA awards. The agency is a four-time Louisville Business First Fast 50 honoree and was named one of the 2026 Best Places to Work in Kentucky.

To learn more about its outcome-based programs, visit RedTag Programs

About RedTag

RedTag is an independent, strategy-first marketing agency based in Louisville, Kentucky. Established in 2008, the agency starts every engagement by understanding the goal before recommending tactics. With a foundation rooted in discovery, RedTag delivers full-scale marketing campaigns built around each client’s business goals. RedTag serves organizations across hospitality, sports, agriculture, government, retail and consumer packaged goods. Learn more at redtag.agency.

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SOURCE RED TAG LLC

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