Recently, Li Ziqi's comeback has reignited interest in 'intangible cultural heritage.' This trend has emerged as an internet content craze in recent years, with more young people embracing traditional culture, bringing once-marginalized intangible cultural heritage techniques into the public eye.

In fact, intangible cultural heritage is not as distant from our daily lives as we might think. Data shows that by the end of 2023, China had over 100,000 representative intangible cultural heritage projects at various levels, with common street foods like Luosi Fen and Sha County snacks being part of this heritage.

Today, intangible cultural heritage skills have become a major traffic driver for filling the content gap in the 'internet celebrity economy.'

How much do internet users enjoy watching the transmission of intangible cultural heritage online? According to the '2024 Intangible Cultural Heritage Data Report,' the cumulative sharing volume of national-level intangible cultural heritage-related videos on the platform increased by 36% year-on-year in the past year, with an average of 53,000 intangible cultural heritage live streams daily, and a 25.63% year-on-year increase in the number of intangible cultural heritage anchors receiving tips.

Li Ziqi's return undoubtedly strengthens the connection between intangible cultural heritage and internet celebrities. But can internet celebrities, increasingly struggling with content creation, truly turn things around with intangible cultural heritage? Probably not everyone can be Li Ziqi.

Is the 'intangible cultural heritage track' already overcrowded?

During Li Ziqi's three-year hiatus, many bloggers also rose to fame through intangible cultural heritage skills. Examples include Jiang Xunqian (September), known for her iron flower performances; Shan Bai, who crafts Huizhou ink sticks, cowhide drums, and woodblock New Year paintings using ancient methods; Li Yichun, who successfully recreated rolling lanterns, firegrass clothing, and fully-covered oil paper umbrellas; Nanxiang, who makes Longquan ink pads; Peng Nanke, who replicates raincoats using ancient methods; and Zhu Tiexiong, who gained popularity through Peking Opera costume changes.

Although their popularity pales in comparison to Li Ziqi's, they have still managed to stand out in an internet landscape plagued by repeated failed attempts to create new celebrities.

Undeniably, this generation of young people who love wearing Hanfu and visiting ancient towns is easily attracted to content infused with traditional cultural elements. The '2023 Short Video User Value Survey Report' shows that 66.5% of short video users have watched traditional culture-related short videos, with historical stories/figures/ruins and unique folk customs being their most interesting content types, each attracting over 50% of users. Additionally, over 40% of users are interested in traditional clothing/etiquette customs, traditional performing arts, and traditional skills.

The creation of national trends has thus become a content that internet celebrities compete to showcase. On Douyin, the number of submissions for intangible cultural heritage projects surged in the past year. Among them, lacquer fans topped the list with over 318 times the growth, while hairpins and Ma-faced skirts also saw growth of 55 times and 15 times, respectively. Submissions for projects like dragon and lion dances, dragon boat racing, and Yue Opera also remained high.

It seems that the 'intangible cultural heritage track' is already overcrowded.

Currently, top intangible cultural heritage bloggers are gradually embarking on a commercial path. Frankly, this track is favored by some brands due to the natural elegance of its content. OPPO, Pepsi, Xiaomi, and Lancôme have successively appeared in Jiang Xunqian's videos. It is reported that Jiang Xunqian's short video star map quotation is as high as 600,000 yuan, while Zhu Tiexiong and Nanxiang's quotations are also 500,000 yuan.

In terms of live streaming sales, Nanxiang has his own brand, 'Nanxiaoxiang,' following Li Ziqi's previous path. The brand sells small steamed buns and fresh meat pastries, currently selling 1,800 units in his showcase. Peng Chuanming's eponymous small store mainly sells tea, with over 30,000 units sold. Jiang Xunqian's handmade soaps have also sold 10,000 units. To some extent, the traffic brought by intangible cultural heritage bloggers shortens their cash-in cycle compared to other types of bloggers.

Data has also proven the money-making ability of intangible cultural heritage bloggers. A previous 'Intangible Cultural Heritage Data Report' on Douyin showed that the number of artisans earning income through Douyin e-commerce increased by 61% year-on-year, and the total transaction volume of intangible cultural heritage inheritors on the platform increased by 15 times compared to the previous year. With both commercial value and traffic, this track has become even more crowded.

However, is this track really as 'easy' as it seems on the surface?

Firstly, the explosion of this type of content in the past two years is partly due to young people's pursuit of national trends and partly due to the continuous 'script flips' in the world of internet celebrities. The beauty of intangible cultural heritage has coincidentally impacted this increasingly distorted market development trend. But can 'elegant' content really replace the 'vulgar' content that has been popular for many years on short videos?

Opening a short video platform, the answer to this question seems obvious.

Secondly, compared to other content areas, there is a certain entry threshold for the entire traditional culture communication track. Li Ziqi's wardrobe took half a year to complete. Li Yichun's 'pillars' took over a year to complete, from collecting raw materials to adjusting dyes. Wang Shenge replicated a Sanxingdui mask, spending over 200,000 yuan on raw materials alone.

The long time span and cost investment are in stark contrast to the inherent explosiveness and fast pace of the internet celebrity economy, creating an unavoidable contradiction. How many people will settle down and delve deeply into content creation in today's internet world? Li Ziqi has been in seclusion for three years, and no one has replaced her yet. Although there are countless submissions for intangible cultural heritage projects on the platform, most still cannot escape the content trap of following trends.

Intangible cultural heritage skills can indeed leverage traffic in the short term, but in the long run, few can become another Li Ziqi.

A Life 'Enslaved' by Consumerism

Young people who love intangible cultural heritage are not only accustomed to applauding on short videos but also opening their wallets. In recent years, intangible cultural heritage consumption has permeated the entire consumer market. Data shows that as early as 2021, there were over 35,000 intangible cultural heritage stores on Taobao and Tmall, with 3.8 million intangible cultural heritage live streams.

In 2023, the transaction volume of intangible cultural heritage products on Taobao and Tmall platforms exceeded 100 billion yuan for the first time, reaching 107.32 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 37.7%, which is more than five times the growth rate of total retail sales of consumer goods during the same period. Intangible cultural heritage consumption on Douyin should not be underestimated either. Data shows that sales of intangible cultural heritage products on the platform increased by over 325% in the past year.

Looking around the current consumer market, intangible cultural heritage elements are often found in ancient towns, museums, numerous intangible cultural heritage skill experience stores, and cultural and creative stores. Whether online or offline, the presence of intangible cultural heritage culture in attracting traffic is becoming increasingly strong. When a niche culture collides with consumers in the commercial world, it is certainly worth celebrating.

Especially since some intangible cultural heritage skills face difficulties in survival and inheritance, the advent of consumerism has saved the endangered state of intangible cultural heritage to some extent. It is reported that live streaming tips on Douyin alone have brought new income to over 10,000 rare drama actors, including the Haifeng Baizi Opera Troupe, the Jilin Provincial Opera Theater Jiju Troupe, and the Chun'an Muzhu Opera Troupe.

However, everything ensnared by consumerism is prone to getting out of control. Before intangible cultural heritage went viral online, traditional culture was active on the internet in various forms. For example, before the ancient style, national style, and intangible cultural heritage trends, the most common concept in the consumer market was 'new Chinese style.' These terms may seem unrelated but actually originate from the same source.

Currently, the pain points experienced by the former national style economy and new Chinese style economy are reappearing in intangible cultural heritage consumption.

The first issue is severe homogenization. Perhaps any traditional cultural industry cannot escape the fate of blindly piling up symbols. Taking ancient towns that focus on intangible cultural heritage skills as an example, incomplete statistics show that there are currently over 2,000 ancient towns built or under construction nationwide, while there are only over 1,800 county-level cities in China, equivalent to each county having its own ancient town on average.

Ancient town intangible cultural heritage performances are also becoming increasingly similar. After Jiang Xunqian popularized iron flower performances, various ancient towns have followed suit, including Ganzhou Qili Ancient Town, Shanxi Jincheng Ancient Town, Chikan Ancient Town, Heifengguan Ancient Town, Taihu Ancient Town, and Linyi Langya Ancient Town. When consumers experience aesthetic fatigue, severe homogenization will undoubtedly gradually drag down an industry.

Secondly, since the era of the national style, these traditional elements have become an excellent means for brands or businesses to raise prices. A survey shows that within clothing brands, the prices of national trend series products and collaborations are mostly over 100 yuan higher than regular products. The 'Consumption Daily' has also reported that the prices of national trend series products are generally 40% to 50% higher than other products.

Therefore, inflated prices have always been a major criticism in intangible cultural heritage consumption. In November 2024, a netizen complained on a social platform about spending 8,265 yuan on a silver bowl at Morong Miao Village. The price of 999 fine silver was 7.3 yuan per gram on that day, making the average price of the silver bowl purchased as high as 46.8 yuan per gram.

Intangible cultural heritage-related products are indeed becoming more and more expensive. Data shows that in 2022, the per capita consumption of intangible cultural heritage was only 349 yuan, but this figure rose to 430 yuan in 2023. This may be more evident for specific brands. In the early years when Zhongxuegao gained popularity, its 66-yuan ice cream was mainly based on intangible cultural heritage, with product design elements including Han-style tiles, woodblock New Year paintings, and movable type printing.

From national style to new Chinese style, and now to intangible cultural heritage consumption becoming a trend once again. According to Qichacha data, there are currently 126,600 enterprises related to intangible cultural heritage in China. In the first ten months of this year, 30,700 new registrations were added, a year-on-year increase of 7%. However, upon closer inspection, the pattern is all too familiar. This is probably just another business game with a new coat of paint.

Is the 'Reshaping Period' for Content Here?

Before Li Ziqi's return, the importance placed by major platforms on traditional culture had already invisibly sparked a competition. In the past year, over a hundred intangible cultural heritage inheritors have been active on Douyin. Besides relatively familiar intangible cultural heritage categories like lacquer fans, more niche and endangered intangible cultural heritage projects such as Lusheng dances, puppet shows, and Nuo dramas have also been prominently promoted on the platform.

Kuaishou and Bilibili are also not to be outdone.

Data shows that as of now, there are 446,000 Bilibili content creators producing traditional culture videos, with 274 million users watching traditional culture content on the platform, amassing a cumulative playback volume of 12 billion. Even Kuaishou, known for its rustic charm, has begun to promote traditional culture. According to the '2023 Kuaishou Intangible Cultural Heritage Ecosystem Data Report,' Kuaishou covers 1,535 intangible cultural heritage projects, with a coverage rate of 98.6%, and a total of 206 million users interested in intangible cultural heritage on the platform.

The reason why major platforms are increasing their focus on intangible cultural heritage culture is undoubtedly for the future content ecosystem.

In recent years, short video platform content has increasingly developed towards disorder and entertainment. Data shows that by the end of 2023, there were 1.55 billion short video accounts on the entire network, with major short video platforms updating nearly 80 million short videos and conducting over 3.5 million live streams daily on average.

However, the content within this is either mixed in quality or becomes popular in the short term by catering to the public's fleeting interests, making the resulting top influencers increasingly uncontrollable. Looking back at internet celebrities who have gained immense popularity over the years, such as Dongbeiyujie, Xiaoying, and Xiaoyangge, the successive demise of top influencers in the content field has forced platforms to reshape their content.

Looking at the entire internet industry as a whole, most platforms have begun to pursue high-quality content supply in a return to basics, whether they are social platforms or e-commerce platforms. Of course, the purpose of rebuilding the content ecosystem on these two types of platforms is basically the same. One point is that in today's internet environment, the space for user growth has significantly shrunk.

Content has replaced products and cost-effectiveness as an effective and lasting method for retaining users. The power of content has also been proven. Data released by QuestMobile in September 2023 shows that while the monthly active users (MAU) of Douyin and Kuaishou only increased by 5.1% and Bilibili's MAU only increased by 6.7% year-on-year, Xiaohongshu, which attempts to create a content atmosphere with slow life, achieved a 20.2% increase.

Li Ziqi's return to the top after three years has further strengthened the determination of major platforms to reshape their content ecosystems. However, the current internet content ecosystem is probably already too big to fail and difficult to change in a short period. While appreciating Li Ziqi, traffic is still tilt towards absurd and melodramatic content.

Relevant data shows that due to the popularity of internet celebrities without rhyme or reason, the theme of short videos in 2024 has always revolved around 'absurdity.' Even popular short dramas have taken the unconventional route of pairing middle-aged and elderly characters with overpowered protagonists. Data shows that on the Douyin platform alone, 2.68 million people have participated in topics related to absurdity, with a total topic playback volume of 63.3 billion.

Do short video platforms really like intangible cultural heritage culture?

Not necessarily. What capital likes is never the peaceful years behind culture but a new form that combines traffic, commerce, and content. This new form may be intangible cultural heritage culture or something else. In short, any content that attracts an audience and makes money is good content.

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