Beijing Chaoyang Park hosted a unique cultural event — the first China New Cultural and Creative Market & Trendy Toy Carnival.
This is not a traditional exhibition, but an urban carnival that seamlessly blends popular IPs, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) crafts, immersive performances, and top-tier cultural and creative products from across China. The fair brings together high-quality creative cultural products, time-honoured ICH brands and trendy toy labels. Covering a total area of approximately 66,000 square metres, it features both indoor and outdoor zones. Centred around two main themes — “New Oriental Aesthetics” and “The Rise of Guochao (Chinese trendy culture)” — the event showcased over 10,000 creative products.
In the “Rise of Guochao” zone, leading Chinese trendy toy brands presented immersive installations. 52TOYS brought the “Panda Roll Playful Panda Forest”, where dozens of lifelike, giant panda sculptures are scattered among the trees, creating perfect photo opportunities. Pop Mart hosted a special exhibition celebrating the 20th anniversary of its hit IP “MOLLY”, featuring a giant castle inflatable and vending machines for blind boxes. Also making its offline debut as a themed zone, “The Emoji Clinic”, the globally recognised emoji brand launches several exclusive items not yet available in stores.
The ICH section is equally impressive. Ten nationally recognised master artisans showcase their representative works at the “Oriental Showcase”, presenting ten traditional crafts, including filigree inlay, Hepu horn carving, polished lacquerware, Longquan celadon and Shui ethnic group’s horsetail embroidery. Traditional ICH techniques are creatively combined with trendy toy designs — Peking silk figurines, cloisonné, and Beijing embroidery are integrated into modern doll clothing and accessories, giving birth to a unique Oriental trend aesthetic. Additionally, over 40 other ICH items — such as jade carving, cloisonné, Beijing embroidery, Miao embroidery, and carved lacquer — allowed visitors to observe master artisans at work up close and participate in hands-on activities like seal carving, tie-dyeing and clay sculpting.
Throughout the event, five major venues in Chaoyang Park hosted over 100 performances, spanning street dance, traditional Chinese music, symphony, opera and parades. The Shell Theater presented an ACG symphony concert and a symphony of Hong Kong film golden melodies. At the East Square of Chaoyang Planning Art Museum, the “New Oriental Aesthetics” pop-up stage featured continuous performances of Jingxi Taiping Drum dance and classical umbrella dance. The East Square of Weibo IN focused on trendy crossover acts, with breakdance battles and jazz quartets taking turns on stage.
And when night falls, even more intriguing adventures begin. A mecha parade weaved through the crowds — visitors might have brushed past Black Myth: Wukong and a troupe of mascots. On the Fangzhou Lake, lantern-lit flower boats set sail, their slow journey accompanied by ancient music and shimmering water, creating a moving Oriental painting. From daytime blind-box surprises to nighttime lantern-lit garden strolls, the park offered unexpected delights at every turn.