China issues national guideline to boost classical industries

我国出台指导意见，推动传统产业提质升级

The State Council Information Office (SCIO) holds a press conference on promoting high-quality development of renowned traditional industries in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Pan Xu)

新华社潘旭报道，国务院新闻办公室（SCIO）于2026年9月7日在中国首都北京举行促进著名传统产业高质量发展新闻发布会。

BEIJING, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday issued its first national guideline on boosting the high-quality development of time-honored industries such as silk, tea and porcelain, targeting 50 leading enterprises with annual revenues exceeding 10 billion yuan (about 1.48 billion U.S. dollars) each by 2028.

新华社于北京9月7日电 中国于周一发布了首个国家层面的指导方针，旨在促进丝绸、茶叶、瓷器等老字号产业的高质量发展，这一方针的目标是到2028年，培育出50家年收入超过100亿元（约合14.8亿美元）的龙头企业。

The guideline, jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and five other government departments, also aims to shape 100 national consumer brands and build several industrial clusters with an annual output of over 100 billion yuan by 2028, and to foster world-class enterprises and renowned brands by 2030 as these industries move up the global value chain.

该指南由工业和信息化部（MIIT）和其他五个政府部门联合发布，还旨在到2028年打造100个全国性消费品牌，并建立若干年产值超过1000亿元的产业集群；到2030年，随着这些产业向全球价值链上游迈进，培育出一批世界级企业和知名品牌。

Developing established industries with profound Chinese features, which also cover traditional Chinese medicine, brewing, arts and crafts, and the "four treasures of the study" -- writing brush, ink stick, paper and inkstone, is an effective way to expand domestic demand and boost consumption, as well as an important vehicle for passing on Chinese civilization and strengthening cultural confidence, according to the guideline.

发展具有深厚中国特色，且涵盖中医药、酿酒、工艺美术等“文房四宝”（笔墨纸砚）的传统产业，是扩大内需、促进消费的有效途径，也是传承中华文明、坚定文化自信的重要载体。

Representative sectors of these traditional industries now boast about 25,000 enterprises above the designated size, employing nearly 3.5 million people and generating about 8 trillion yuan in annual revenue, MIIT Vice Minister Xie Yuansheng told a media conference on Monday. "Time-honored industries are the crystallization of Chinese civilization and national treasures," he said.

工信部副部长谢元生周一在新闻发布会上表示，这些传统产业的代表性行业目前拥有约2.5万家规模以上企业，从业人员近350万人，年收入约8万亿元。他表示“老字号产业是中华文明的结晶，是国家的瑰宝。”

The guideline comes as China seeks to turn its cultural heritage into market competitiveness. Feng Haicang, an official with MIIT's consumer goods industry department, noted that about 90 percent of China's silk products are exported, but mainly as raw materials or original equipment manufacturer goods, with domestic brands having limited pricing power in the global market.

该指导方针出台之际，中国正寻求将其文化遗产转化为市场竞争力的方法。工信部消费品工业司官员冯海沧指出，中国约有90%的丝绸产品用于出口，但主要是作为原材料或原始设备制造商的产品，国产品牌在全球市场的定价权仍有限。

To help classical industries embrace innovation without losing tradition, the guideline calls for building "industrial brains" in major production areas, applying artificial intelligence to decode traditional craftsmanship, and constructing smart tea factories, smart pharmacies, intelligent kilns and digitalized breweries.

为帮助经典行业在不失传统的前提下拥抱创新，《指南》要求在它们的主要产区建设“工业大脑”，应用人工智能解码传统工艺，建设智慧茶厂、智慧药房、智慧窑厂、数字化酿酒厂。

"Embracing AI does not mean abandoning old craftsmanship, but giving millennia-old techniques a pair of technological wings," Xie said. In silk weaving, AI-assisted design can now generate thousands of patterns in minutes, he added.

“拥抱AI并不意味着抛弃古老的工艺，而是给千年技术插上一双科技翅膀，”谢元生说。他补充道，在丝绸编织中，人工智能辅助设计可以在几分钟内即时生成数千种图案。

On consumption, Xie said Chinese consumers are shifting from "buying more goods" to "seeking better services and experiences," and that revitalizing these industries requires coordinated efforts in products, scenes and channels to help time-honored craftsmanship "come alive, go viral and reach every household."

在消费方面，谢元生表示，中国消费者正在从“购买更多商品”转向“寻求更好的服务和体验”，振兴这些行业需要在产品、场景和渠道上协同发力，帮助历史悠久的手工艺“活起来、病毒式传播并到达每个家庭”。

Specifically, the guideline encourages integrating heritage industries with culture, tourism, wellness and rural vitalization, and supports global launches of heritage brands, access to duty-free channels, and international recognition of carbon footprint accounting for silk, tea and porcelain products.

具体而言，该指南鼓励将遗产产业与文化、旅游、健康与乡村振兴相结合，并支持遗产品牌的全球发布、免税渠道的准入以及对丝绸、茶叶和瓷器产品碳足迹核算的国际认可。

The move is expected to be part of China's broader push to expand domestic demand, which the Central Economic Work Conference listed as the top priority this year.

此举预计将成为中国扩大内需的更广泛举措的一部分，中央经济工作会议将扩大内需列为今年的首要任务。

The country will hold the first national exposition of time-honored industries in east China's Hangzhou City in late October, Xie said.

他说，中国将于10月下旬在中国东部城市杭州举办首届全国老字号产业博览会。