This March, the first article in Luxe.CO’s Silk Culture Column focused on one of the world’s earliest luxury fabrics — Shu Brocade. Encouragingly, in the months that followed, this intangible cultural heritage has shown a maturing industrial ecosystem and truly went viral this summer.
On May 19, Luckin Coffee launched its first co-branded series featuring intangible cultural heritage in partnership with the Chengdu Ancient Shu Brocade Research Institute, bringing the aesthetics of Shu Brocade to younger consumers in a more intuitive way. Shu Brocade inheritors Hu Guangjun, Jiang Liping, and Chen Xingyu reinterpreted the traditional “Kui Dragon Pattern” and “Auspicious Cloud Pattern” with clean, modern lines to create three themed cup designs — Panda Kui Dragon Pattern Brocade, Auspicious Deer Call Pattern Brocade, and Blossoming Butterfly Pattern, along with matching paper bags and cup sleeves.
On its launch day, the collection achieved sales of 1.85 million cups across over 20,000 Luckin Coffee stores nationwide. Many consumers eagerly shared “check-in photos” on social media. One young user remarked, “One cup of coffee cured any aesthetic anxiety I had.”
During the summer holiday season, the tourism boom in Chengdu once again boosted interest in Shu Brocade. According to CCTV’s Focus Report, between July 1 and August 11, the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum received 82,000 visitors, a year-on-year increase of nearly 200%, with a notable rise in young attendees. Sales in the museum’s cultural and creative zone rose by nearly 300% year-on-year, with Shu Brocade-inspired cultural products priced from a few dozen to several hundred RMB [approximately USD 7 to 70] proving especially popular.
Above: Dragon Boat Festival gourd ornament from the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum
In June, the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum released its first short drama series on platforms such as WeChat Video Channel, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin. Titled My Military Advisor is Kongming, the story follows Zhuge Liang traveling through time to the modern day to help the museum improve its business, using humor and light-hearted storytelling to promote Shu Brocade culture. This year, the museum also collaborated with Huawei, Wuliangye, and Casarte to film commercial campaigns showcasing the craftsmanship of Shu Brocade.
Today, Shu Brocade is no longer merely a cultural symbol — it has proven to hold substantial commercial potential.
In March, Shu Brocade brand Jinyi Tiancheng opened its first offline flagship store in Shenzhen’s Shangshang City. The brand has also been actively expanding into lower-tier markets via livestreaming and social media platforms. According to brand founder and next-generation Shu Brocade inheritor Jiang Liping, “A recent livestream session featuring intangible cultural heritage inheritors generated over RMB 800,000 [approximately USD 110,000] in single-session sales. Surprisingly, a large number of orders came from third- and fourth-tier cities.”
Above: Exhibit from Jinyi Tiancheng at a trade show
In June, while attending the 103rd edition of the Garda International Footwear Fair in Italy, Luxe.CO witnessed strong interest from international buyers in Shu Brocade women’s shoes developed by a footwear company from Shuangliu, Chengdu. The fabric used in each pair is handcrafted by intangible cultural heritage artisans. From pattern design to finished textile, the process takes three months.
Italian fashion buyer Tommaso, who attended the fair, commented: “It’s incredible! Shu Brocade craftsmanship has completely reshaped my understanding of women’s footwear. The blend of tradition and modernity is impeccable — luxurious, yet deeply cultural. I believe it will be well-received in the European market.”
As public enthusiasm for Shu Brocade surges, government policy is also stepping in to support its development.
At the end of 2024, Chengdu issued policies to promote the high-level preservation and high-quality development of Shu Brocade and Shu Embroidery, aiming for an annual output value of RMB 200 million [approximately USD 27.5 million] for Shu Brocade and RMB 400 million [approximately USD 55 million] for Shu Embroidery by 2027. The number of market players and practitioners in both sectors is expected to grow by 200% and 100% respectively.
In July, more than 20 representatives from entities including the Chengdu Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, the Chengdu Ancient Shu Brocade Research Institute, Chengdu Shu Brocade Handicraft Factory, and Sichuan Arts and Crafts Group convened at the Sichuan Silk Research Institute to discuss revisions to the national standard for Shu Brocade.
The Chengdu Bureau of Economy and Information Technology expressed its commitment to accelerating the cross-sector integration of Shu Brocade and Shu Embroidery industries. Initiatives include facilitating partnerships between brands such as Shujiang Brocade Institute, Jinyi Tiancheng, and Yuan Zhi Shu Brocade with leading domestic and international companies such as Ferragamo, BMW, Huawei, Luckin Coffee, Yili, Casarte, and Wuliangye. The government also plans to establish innovation platforms such as an Intangible Cultural Heritage AI+ Innovation Lab and the Chengdu Silk Road Shu Brocade Innovation Design Institute, encouraging enterprises to apply next-generation technologies like AI and big data to support pattern design and cultural product development for Shu Brocade.
| Source: Chengdu Daily, Sichuan Silk WeChat account, Focus Report program, official Xiaohongshu account of Jinyi Tiancheng, official WeChat account of the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum
| Image Credit: Cover News; official Xiaohongshu account of Jinyi Tiancheng; Xiaohongshu account of the Chengdu Shu Brocade and Embroidery Museum
| Editor: Liu Ruixue
Luxe.CO Oriental Aesthetics Division
Luxe.CO’s Oriental Aesthetics Division focuses on unique Chinese industries rooted in millennia-old culture — such as silk, porcelain, tea, and bamboo — and is committed to helping more high-end industry readers understand the richness and immense potential of Oriental aesthetics. It also aims to explore and accelerate the modernization and revitalization of these industries.
In addition to consistently publishing original high-quality content, Luxe.CO will launch a series of carefully curated cultural and industry events, including heritage discovery tours, forums and workshops, and art exhibitions. From culture to commerce, from materials to craftsmanship, from history to the present, and from China to the world, Luxe.CO integrates the entire value chain to explore the essence of traditional culture and craftsmanship through a new lens.
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