- When Yang Yu, a Sichuan University graduate, embarked on the creation of <Nezha: Birth of the Demon Child> in Chengdu in 2015, he could hardly have imagined that a decade later, the “Nezha” he created—alongside 27 popular local digital cultural and creative IPs—would become a new highlight of the city’s Golden Week cultural tourism scene.
In October, the streets of Chengdu, filled with the fragrance of osmanthus, are witnessing a wonderful cross-dimensional encounter. “Nezha,” draped in his Red Armillary Sash, “steps out” of the movie; the adorable giant panda “Huahua” stands side by side with characters from the e-sports game <Honor of Kings>, attracting countless tourists to stop, take photos, and interact for group shots.
This creative encounter is no accidental cultural collision, but a vivid microcosm of the Chengdu International Digital Cultural and Creative Season. During this year’s Golden Week, Chengdu has used digital cultural and creative elements as its “brush” to paint a new landscape of deep integration of technology, cultural and creative industries, and tourism. It not only showcases the creativity and vitality of China’s digital cultural and creative industry to the world but also conveys the passion and charm of being “the most popular city among young people” to a global audience.
Catering to the Diverse Needs of Young People
At the Chengdu International Digital Cultural and Creative Season, Chengdu has launched a series of activities tailored to the diverse needs of young people. The city serves not only as a gathering place for global cultural and creative IPs and a dream-chasing destination for young creators but also as the first stop for young people worldwide to experience the allure of China’s digital cultural and creative industry.
It is learned that starting from October, <Honor of Kings> will roll out a series of anniversary events in Chengdu, including the “Global Premiere Offline Exhibition of Luban No.7 (a character from <Honor of Kings>)”, “Honor of Kings 10th Anniversary: Canyon Birthday Party”,”Travel Chengdu with Honor of Kings”,”Rongyao Co-creation Urban Public Welfare Activity”, and two major e-sports events—the “KPL Annual Finals Challenge Match and Knockout Match” and “Dimension Collision Carnival: Honor of Kings 10th Anniversary Special Session.” These events have turned Chengdu into an “Honor of Kings Themed City”.
As a staple of the anniversary celebrations, the highly anticipated “2025 Honor of Kings Anniversary Co-creation Night” will be held at the Chengdu Wuliangye Cultural and Sports Center on October 26, presenting a spectacular cross-dimensional audio-visual feast for players and the public.
“Chengdu is like a huge ‘2D/ACG city’ to me. I never expected my dream of traveling with ACG elements to come true here,” said Wang Yu, a tourist from Qingdao, while taking a photo in front of an <Honor of Kings> character sculpture on Jiaozi Avenue. He added that he planned to seek out “Honor of Kings” elements across Chengdu’s streets to see how this globally popular e-sports title has moved from mobile screens to real life.
Jiaozi Avenue’s one-kilometer-long stretch is brimming with crowds, glowing lights, and excitement. A host of IPs have made their collective appearance, including Panda Homeland, <Wuhua Mixin>, <Rakshasa Street>, <Hanhua Diary>, and <Shrouding the Heavens>. Beyond the cosplay parades that draw tourists eager to take photos, various IP interactive experiences have ignited the passion of Generation Z.
After engaging with various digital cultural and creative works on Jiaozi Avenue, Dalton Grant—an American sci-fi animation director who has worked on classic projects like <Cars>, <Shrek>, <SpongeBob SquarePants>, and <DuckTales>—kept exclaiming “crazy.” “The atmosphere here is completely beyond my imagination,” Grant said, noting that Chengdu is defining digital creativity in its own way, like a “Digital Hollywood”. “To me, Chengdu is now like a beacon. The success of <Nezha 2: The Demon Child’s Sea Chaos>, combined with the development of games, entertainment, and digital technology, gives it strong appeal.”
The exhibition area in front of Grant was a popular “check-in spot” during the China National Day holiday. At the “Future Technology · Trendy Play Test Site”, top-tier IP cultural and creative products—including co-branded items for <Honor of Kings>, Nezha, and Pop Mart, co-branded products for <Black Myth: Wukong>, and peripheral products for <Assassin’s Creed>—made a collective appearance. Everything from game peripherals and animation merchandise to e-sports equipment and digital hardware was available—Chengdu is using digital cultural and creative products as a lever to drive the deep integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports.
According to Jin Peng, Secretary-General of the China Cultural Industry Association, digital cultural and creative products represent a major trend in the mobile Internet era and have a huge market among young people. Chengdu’s effort to boost the cultural and creative industry through the Digital Cultural and Creative Season is a reflection of the city’s vitality. Chengdu’s digital cultural and creative industry not only ranks among the “first echelon” in China but also serves as the most important hub in Southwest China.
Industrial Cluster Behind Top-Tier IPs
As a national-level game IP with hundreds of millions of users, <Honor of Kings>—born in Chengdu—carries the youthful memories of countless young people and perfectly aligns with Chengdu’s urban temperament of “coexisting tradition and modernity”. As a highly representative figure in China’s mythological system, “Nezha” embodies the spiritual core of bravery and innovation, which also resonates deeply with Chengdu’s urban spirit of pioneering and inclusiveness.
Behind the concentrated emergence of numerous top-tier IPs lies Chengdu’s strength as a highland of China’s digital cultural and creative industry. The city is home to China’s most representative original digital cultural and creative enterprises and leading teams. To date, Chengdu has 690 above-scale digital cultural and creative enterprises. In 2024, the total scale of Chengdu’s core digital cultural and creative industry reached 381.9 billion yuan.
“It’s commendable that Chengdu is willing to spend a long time carefully cultivating excellent cultural and creative IPs,” Jin Peng said. He added that Chengdu’s leading position in the digital cultural and creative industry also benefits from the high attention the Chengdu municipal government pays to the sector, which is one of the reasons why Chengdu has become the birthplace of many original IPs.
It is understood that the Chengdu municipal government has successively issued policies such as <Several Policies of Chengdu on Promoting the Development of the Film and Television Industry>, <Several Policies of Chengdu on Promoting the High-Quality Development of the Game and E-Sports Industry>, and <Several Policies of Chengdu on Promoting the High-Quality Creation and Transformation of Sci-Fi Content>. These multi-faceted measures aim to drive the sustainable development of Chengdu’s film and television, e-sports, and sci-fi industries.
“This area reminds me of the location of Pixar, where I once worked. There are many grassroots creators growing here—it’s like a combination of Silicon Valley and Hollywood,” Grant emphasized, noting that Chengdu is defining digital creativity in its unique way.
This holiday season, Chengdu has offered a new model for the cultural and tourism market through a grand feast of digital cultural and creative works. As Nezha’s Wind-Fire Wheels intertwine with the handsome looks of <Honor of Kings> heroes, tradition and modernity collide to spark brilliant sparks, and technology and culture achieve perfect integration. Walking on Chengdu’s streets is no longer just a simple spatial movement, but can also be an interesting and in-depth exploration of the city’s culture.
Written By He Shaoqing
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