TIANJIN, July 24 (Xinhua) -- On a weekend afternoon, Miyuru de Silva, a Sri Lankan student in Tianjin, browsed the shelves of blind-box toys at a Pop Mart store with her friends. After opening one of the boxes, she promptly shared a photo on social media. Within minutes, friends back in Sri Lanka were asking where they could buy one or whether she could bring one home on her next trip.
"I used to buy traditional souvenirs like tea and silk when I first came to China," she said.
Now, Miyuru spends her weekends sipping trendy milk tea, browsing designer toy stores, taking city walks and attending music festivals with Chinese friends. Beyond making her life in China more enjoyable, she said, these experiences have given her a firsthand look at the lifestyles and spending habits of China's younger generation.
Her story reflects a wider shift. Young Chinese consumers are not only reshaping the domestic market with homegrown brands, original intellectual property (IP) and new lifestyle experiences, but are also drawing growing interest from overseas consumers.
Official data show that China's retail sales of consumer goods and services rose 2.7 percent year on year in the first half of 2026. Service retail sales increased 5.3 percent, outpacing the 1.1-percent growth in goods retail sales, with spending on culture, sports and leisure services posting particularly strong growth.
These figures underscore China's efforts to foster new forms of consumption as part of a broader drive to boost domestic demand and cultivate new growth drivers.
Driven by young consumers, original IP-based merchandise, the booming "guzi economy," trendy tea drinks, creative markets, music festivals and AI-powered consumer products have emerged as vibrant new growth areas. Increasingly, these trends are spreading beyond China via social media, cross-border travel and cultural exchanges.
On platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, hashtags like "China Travel" and "China Shopping" continue to gain traction. Across China, overseas visitors line up outside Pop Mart's flagship store on Shanghai's East Nanjing Road, check out trendy beverage shops on Chengdu's Chunxi Road and explore destinations popular among young Chinese consumers.
"The rise of original Chinese brands, IPs and new consumption formats reflects China's growing capacity for innovation," said Tuo Yanzhen, associate professor at the College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University.
"Many of these products and experiences first gained popularity at home before reaching overseas markets through social media and cross-border travel. Their appeal among young consumers abroad reflects a rising global demand for personalization, cultural expression and emotional value."
Tuo said China's increasingly sophisticated innovation ecosystem, complete industrial chains and strong manufacturing capabilities are enabling more homegrown ideas to become globally competitive consumer products.
Data from the General Administration of Customs show that China's goods trade reached 25.47 trillion yuan (about 3.75 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first half of the year, up 16.9 percent year on year, with a growing number of culturally creative, technology-driven and brand-oriented consumer products entering overseas markets.
At a duty-free shop in Tianjin, Russian visitor Golubeva Ekaterin carefully selected Chinese-themed creative products as gifts for family and friends.
"I like buying gifts with distinctive Chinese characteristics," she said. "They are creative, affordable and reflect Chinese culture. My family enjoys them, and I also want to share the products that are popular among young Chinese people today."
Experience-based consumption has also become a defining feature of China's youth market. Music festivals, concerts and cultural events are drawing participants from both home and abroad.
For Azzi Mohammed, a Yemeni student at Tianjin University of Science and Technology, attending the BUBBLING & BOILING Music and Arts Festival in Tianjin was one of his most memorable experiences in China.
"The festival combined live performances with craft markets, food stalls and interactive activities. It was a great place to meet new people," he said.
"I enjoy joining these events with my Chinese friends, and I believe more young people from overseas will come to appreciate this kind of experience."
"Chinese youth are no longer simply following global consumer trends -- they are helping create them," said Pang Hua, a professor at the School of New Media and Communication of Tianjin University.
"As Chinese brands, products and lifestyle experiences continue to gain international recognition, they are influencing how young consumers around the world discover, experience and engage with Chinese culture," Pang said. ■
