As cultural confidence grows, Chinese brands highlight China’s heritage in storytelling

BEIJING – Midway up the second flight of steep steps, a yellow sport utility vehicle (SUV) wobbled, paused for a split second, then dramatically rolled backwards down Tianmen Mountain’s 999-step “Stairway to Heaven” before crashing into the stone guard rails as onlookers screamed.

When in November Chinese carmaker

Chery sent its new SUV to climb the famed staircase

, which sits roughly at a 45-degree angle in Zhangjiajie, Hunan province, it was attempting to recreate a stunt British carmaker Land Rover had famously, and successfully, executed in 2018.

Never mind the failed attempt, it is the moxie that is significant. Its decision to stage such a high-profile and globally recognisable challenge publicly marked a bold bid to reclaim a narrative once shaped by a foreign automaker. It did so by placing its brand – and Chinese engineering – at the centre of one of the country’s most culturally significant mountains.

It is emblematic of a growing trend among Chinese brands. Rather than leaning on Western landmarks to signal modernity and global relevance, more Chinese companies now increasingly feature China’s own landscapes, aesthetics and cultural identity in their marketing – a sign of growing confidence that Chinese culture is sophisticated enough to stand on its own.

Assistant Professor Chen Yiming, director of the art technology and industry research centre at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, noted that Chinese brands are increasingly making an effort to narrate global aspirations through Chinese geography and history, treating local sites as “stages” to showcase creativity rather than “passive symbols of the past”.

“What we’re seeing now is not a rejection of globalisation but a recalibration,” said Prof Chen, who researches China’s cultural identity and creative industries.

Whereas brands once filmed in Paris, London or Milan to telegraph luxury, many are now choosing to anchor marketing campaigns or stage events at China’s UNESCO sites, ancient towns, traditional gardens or dramatic natural landscapes.

Chinese handbag brand Bampo, which sells both domestically and overseas, staged a fashion show at a picturesque tea plantation in Guizhou province in November to launch its new tea-scented leather bags.

The collection, it said, pays homage to the province’s vast and ecologically rich tea culture, even though the bags are crafted using leather from Ireland, threads from Germany and edge oil from Italy.

In August, Bosideng, China’s biggest home-grown down jacket brand, held a campaign shoot and influencer event at Xinjiang’s East Kalajun grassland to highlight how its new autumn jacket could be worn in the region’s famously fluctuating temperatures.

These location choices suggest that as China’s cultural confidence rises, Chinese brands are increasingly seeking out domestic landscapes that resonate emotionally with consumers and better express a distinctly Chinese identity, analysts said.

Mr Jacky Zhu, head of retail research at JLL China, said this change is driven in part by generational forces, as younger Chinese tend to prioritise emotional resonance when choosing how to spend their money.

“Gen Zs’ identification with Chinese culture and their sense of national pride have reached unprecedented levels. Consumers no longer assume that advertising shot overseas is inherently more upscale,” he said, citing his company’s research on consumer generations.

Mr Zhu added that global cityscapes, overused in past campaigns especially by fashion brands, “have reached diminishing returns” among Chinese audiences. In contrast, China’s own vast cultural and natural resources offer far greater freshness and emotional connection.

Ms Olivia Plotnick, who runs Shanghai social media marketing agency Wai Social, said Chinese consumers are more discerning these days, and seek out products and experiences that “reflect who they are today, not who they were told to aspire to a decade ago”.

This shift also aligns with broader messaging from Beijing.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has repeatedly emphasised the need to strengthen “cultural confidence”, or wenhua zixin, as a pillar of national rejuvenation. In one oft-quoted speech, he said: “Without full confidence in our culture, without a rich and prosperous culture, the Chinese nation will not be able to rejuvenate itself.”

The national push has also filtered down to local governments, which are not only expected to safeguard cultural heritage but also tasked with stimulating consumption, expanding domestic demand and driving tourism as part of China’s broader economic growth strategy.

As a result, many city and provincial governments have tapped brand collaborations, pop-up events and cultural-activation activities as tools to reinvigorate local economies and showcase regional identity.

In August, for example, Chinese automaker Geely, with the support of the Xinjiang authorities, held an experiential test-drive campaign for its high-end series along Duku Highway, one of China’s most scenic yet challenging routes, winding through cliffs, forests and snow-capped peaks.

The campaign generated strong publicity for both Geely’s cars and the region, highlighting the highway’s potential as a self-driving holiday destination. It also renewed attention towards Duku Highway’s reputation as a testament to the Chinese patriotic and persevering spirit – there were immense difficulties and lives lost during its construction in the early 1970s.

Another Chinese carmaker, BYD, had also turned to cultural settings earlier in 2025, shooting a series of promotional advertisements at Grand Tang Dynasty Ever Bright City, an ancient-style commercial district in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, to merge the splendour of the Tang golden age with its own Dynasty series of cars.

JLL China’s Mr Zhu noted that beyond appealing to its domestic audience, campaigns centred on cultural heritage help push China’s cultural and creative identity overseas, contributing indirectly to the country’s broader soft-power ambitions and reshaping international perceptions of “Made in China”.

But as more brands seek out culturally symbolic settings to stage marketing events, it also throws into question whether some companies are merely cherry-picking Chinese cultural elements for visual impact, without sufficiently engaging with the deeper historical or social context behind them.

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University’s Prof Chen said brands that engage more meaningfully would, for instance, work with local organisations or artisans, rather than treating culture as decoration – a distinction that Chinese consumers are increasingly adept at recognising.

In the case of Chery’s failed attempt at Tianmen Mountain, clips of the incident went viral online, sparking a wave of discussion on not just whether the automaker was too ambitious in its undertaking, but also whether the dangerous commercial spectacle risked treating a culturally meaningful landmark as little more than a dramatic backdrop for viral marketing.

Prof Chen said such concerns will serve to highlight the importance of effective governance, rather than bring about a stop to commercial engagement altogether.

Across China, many major sites already operate under approval systems involving cultural heritage bureaus, the tourism authorities and site management committees, he noted. But as brand activities become more creative and experiential, governance frameworks need to evolve as well, he said.

Citing possible measures such as undertaking risk assessments, cultural impact reviews or post-event accountability, Prof Chen added: “Governance can be more adaptive and forward-looking.”