By Adam Peaker
Beijing is enjoying a rise in soft power and global cultural influence in 2025 thanks to the success of Chinese animated film Ne Zha 2, YouTuber IShowSpeed’s viral livestream clips, and Labubu doll mania.
DeepSeek moment
The term ‘DeepSeek moment’ refers to when China made waves across the world after Hangzhou-based tech company DeepSeek released its latest AI chatbot in January.
DeepSeek’s model rivalled that of ChatGPT and other Western AIs in both cost and innovation, something that many had not anticipated.
United States President Donald Trump even described the technology as a “wake-up call” for American companies.
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Ne Zha 2
In addition to its tech industry, China has seen its cultural influence enjoy a resurgence in 2025.
China’s film industry had its own ‘DeepSeek moment’ when Ne Zha 2 became a surprise global blockbuster, raking in over $2 billion and beating Inside Out 2 to the title of highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Ne Zha 2’s success is of particular significance as it heavily features Chinese mythology.
Back in 2008, US-made animation Kung Fu Panda shocked many Chinese filmgoers with its accurate portrayal of Chinese culture, with many wondering why the West was able to make such a well-crafted depiction while, at the time, China could not.
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IShowSpeed
Audiences were then drawn to another depiction of China, this time that of its modern, bustling cities.
US YouTube star Darren Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, live-streamed his trip around several Chinese cities.
After a KFC delivery by drone in Shenzhen, many of IShowSpeed’s nearly 40 million followers expressed that it was a side of China they had not seen before.
“China is so underrated” was a common comment left under the viral clips.
With many amazed by China’s growing technological prowess, the nation is considered by some as seemingly, and suddenly, ‘cool’ now.
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Labubu dolls
Chinese companies are also beginning to benefit from this rising ‘coolness’ trend, with Beijing-based Pop Mart seeing its Labubu dolls go similarly viral.
Western celebrities like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian have even been seen with the much-coveted dolls.
Due to their blind-box nature, the actual doll you receive is random – so while the blind-boxes may retail for a modest $20-40, specific and rare editions can resell for several hundred or even thousand dollars.
This has all contributed to Pop Mart tripling its profits over the past year.
Western shoppers hopping on Chinese consumer trends was, before this, rather rare.
Bar tech giants like Huawei, global consumers did not perceive China as a “brand-creating nation”, says Fan Yang of the University of Maryland.
Only time will tell whether Pop Mart will cement itself as a proudly Chinese brand or Labubu will just be another passing fad.
Soft-power index
It is important to note that all these significant moments came after China rose to second place on the Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index back in February, narrowly overtaking the United Kingdom.
The US took the top spot, although it remains to be seen what effect China’s recent soft-power wins will have on the nation’s 2026 ranking and if this trend continues.
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