The east wind is gentle, and the “China-chic” trend is booming.

From “National Treasures” to “Tang Palace Night Banquets”, and from horse-face skirts to flower hairpin crowns, a stream of creative expressions is transforming ancient Chinese aesthetics into modern consumer favorites.

With over 5,000 years of rich heritage, Chinese culture is once again surging with vitality and innovation—especially among the younger generations.

Generation Z with Increasing “China-chic Content”

Data from industry research reveals that search interest in “China-chic” has grown by 528% over the past decade. On Chinese e-commerce platforms, over 70% of purchased items are domestic brands, and nearly 80% of consumers actively prefer them.

In 2023 alone, the China-chic economy reached a market size of over 20.5 trillion RMB, with projections to exceed 30 trillion RMB by 2028. Among the primary drivers of this growth? Generation Z.

On Bilibili, traditional culture is one of the platform’s hottest topics. Tmall data shows that those born in the ’90s spend over 6,000 RMB annually on domestic goods. According to the “2023 China-chic Brand Young Consumer Insight Report,” 78.5% of consumers prefer Chinese brands, with Gen Z contributing 74% of total consumption for China-chic products.

This shows that embracing the China-chic aesthetic is more than a trend—it’s a lifestyle and identity for young Chinese consumers.

China-chic Trend, Empowering maternal and baby industry

Now, this cultural renaissance is expanding into a new frontier: the China-chic maternal and baby industry. From fashion to feeding bottles, traditional Chinese style baby products are becoming must-haves for modern parents.

Intangible cultural heritage creations, Guofeng coffee, embroidered nails, new Chinese-style dressing. The strong “China-chic” flavor has permeated every aspect, and now, this trend has also blown into the maternal and baby industry.

According to data from Analysis, 57% of Generation Z mothers have purchased China-chic maternal and baby products; Nielsen’s maternal and baby insight report also reveals that China-chic maternal and baby brands are gradually taking over the minds of the high-end maternal and baby consumer groups, becoming one of the trends in the core maternal and baby consumption categories.

The impact of China-chic on the maternal and baby industry is reflected in the following dimensions and aspects:

01 Revitalization of the Ancient “Chinese Style” Series

During the Dragon Year Spring Festival, the horse-face skirt suddenly became a hot item in clothing. On TikTok, short videos with the hashtag #HorseFaceSkirt# have received more than 20 billion views.

This primary skirt style for ancient Chinese women, which has been around since the Song Dynasty, has once again become “the most suitable princess dress for the Chinese baby’s physique” after improvements that combine traditional clothing features with modern practicality.

Chinese-style toys, like the sophisticated mortise-and-tenon models, mesmerizing flip-over dragons, dynamic Arowana lamps, cool Guofeng mecha, and both cute and imposing lion dance toys, have regained attention. In the CCTV “China New Toys” program, the intelligence and aesthetics unique to the Chinese, harmonized with modern craftsmanship, were perfectly represented.

At the beginning of this year, the mortise-and-tenon toy “Yingxinglou Building Blocks” and the Chinese-style 3D metal puzzles “Golden Winged Bird Crown” and “Wangong Sedan Chair” gained numerous fans at the German Nuremberg Toy Fair.

Designers continue to innovate while paying homage to and drawing from the essence of tradition, giving new interpretations to the old Chinese style. These new Chinese-style products not only carry a long history and cultural heritage but also showcase the aesthetic taste and creativity of modern Chinese people.

These new products reflect a blend of historical heritage and modern ingenuity, with designers reinterpreting tradition through a creative lens.

02 Application of Chinese Cultural Symbols

The booming rise of the China-chic has also influenced the product designs and packaging concepts in the maternal and baby industry, making them actively integrate Chinese elements and aesthetics.

Especially in the dragon-filled year of 2024, various brands have displayed their skills: ABC KIDS jackets with a dragon-scale feel paired with dragon head print sweaters, bursting with dragon aura to start good fortune; Huggies Little Dragon Pants with exquisitely patterned diapers containing well-wishing blessings for safety; Hegen’s Dragon Year Commemorative Edition bottle with a purple dragon symbolizing great prospects on the bottle; Qiu Tian Full “Dragon Year Kirin Blessing Gift Box,” packaging 14 snack items with cute dragon-shaped DIY cardboard wearable toys that are both tasty and playful…

In addition to the “dragon” totem symbol, Chinese cultural symbols such as the Palace Museum’s cultural creations, Dunhuang, Sanxingdui, Liangzhu, and others are also being revived in modern contexts. This not only showcases the confidence and charm of national culture but also injects new vitality and creativity into the industry.

03 Inheritance of Traditional Child-Rearing Concepts

Traditional child-rearing concepts have endured through millennia, containing profound wisdom and heritage. With the changes in times, these concepts are having new interpretations and applications in maternal and baby products.

This is particularly evident in the baby wash and care category. In addition to well-known products such as talcum powder and Lithospermum ointment, many baby wash and care products developed from ancient texts like “Compendium of Materia Medica” and “Taiping Sheng Hui Fang” have also become new favorites in the market. Most of these products use pure plant Chinese herbal ingredients such as mugwort leaves, Isatis leaves, dandelion, perilla, etc., combined with ancient brewing and modern extraction techniques. As a result, mothers trust their safety. Industry insiders revealed: “The market for Chinese herbal wash and care products shows a clear growth trend, with a 160% increase from January to May 2024 compared to the same period, showing great potential.”

Additionally, traditional medicine also provides for children’s snacks that align with the concept of food and medicine sharing the same origin, such as Bazhen paste, pear ointment candy, hawthorn pills, etc. CBME Insights believes that healthy snacks containing the wisdom of traditional medicine will be the next huge potential blue ocean, as recently evidenced by the viral Traditional Chinese Medicine sour plum drink.

Looking Ahead: Tradition Meets Innovation

Whether in fashion, childcare, or daily life, China-chic is redefining the future of parenting. The China-chic maternal and baby industry is no longer a niche—it’s a dynamic, fast-growing sector that’s modernizing tradition while passing on cultural identity.

As one generation inspires the next, the beauty of traditional Chinese style baby products lies not just in their design, but in the story they tell.