From July 8 to 17 local time, the 66th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) was held in Geneva, Switzerland. During this period, at the thematic exhibition “Copyright in China: Safeguarding Innovation, Shaping the Future Together”, China’s fine traditional culture, through its rich forms of expression and diverse pathways of copyright transformation, snapped its fingers in resonance with the spirit of the times.

A vivid example could be seen at the thematic exhibition, where exquisite Song dynasty paintings, singing celadon porcelain, and entertaining Three Kingdoms stories—all carrying their own copyright “ID cards”—made a dazzling appearance, presenting distinctive “retro” stories with a new twist.

Awakening

At noon on July 8 local time, the 66th Series of Meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the WIPO officially opened. A wisp of porcelain music drifting through the venue instantly captured everyone’s attention.

On stage, six musicians from the Cixi Celadon Ou Music Troupe gently tapped celadon bowls and cups, performing the piece “Song of the Imperial Street”. The clear, resonant tones seemed to pierce through a thousand years, unfolding before the audience the bustling scenes of a Song dynasty marketplace.

A foreign participant closed his eyes as he listened, his hand unconsciously moving with the rhythm. The delicate textures and elegant hues of the celadon seemed to transport him to the misty, rain-washed landscapes of Jiangnan.

“Even during our early preparations, many participants gathered around, looking at this, touching that—and once they listened, they realized that porcelain could actually serve as a musical instrument,” said Zan Hao, captain of the Ou Music Troupe, when contacted by a reporter just after finishing the performance. In Zan’s view, music knows no borders and is the most powerful way to touch the heart—when fingertips strike porcelain and the sounds resonate, Chinese romance and aesthetic sensibility transcend language: “This sense of wonder belongs to China, and also to the world.”

As a seasoned “veteran” in cultural outreach, the Ou Music Troupe has, since being included in the third batch of Zhejiang’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List in 2009, traveled to 16 countries including the United States, Germany, and Japan, carrying out more than 70 cultural exchange events. It has become one of Zhejiang’s “ambassadors” for dialogue between Zhejiang’s arts and the world.

“Judging from the audience’s reactions, I think this three-day whirlwind cultural showcase overseas has won us quite a few new international fans,” Zan Hao said with a smile.

At the exhibition, the head of the National Copyright Administration of China presented to WIPO the Complete Collection of Song Paintings (25 volumes) from the Compendium of Chinese Painting through the Ages, compiled and published by Zhejiang University and the Zhejiang Provincial Administration of Cultural Heritage. Meanwhile, Wang Chuanqiao, the 23rd-generation inheritor of Ruian movable-type woodblock printing from Wenzhou, gave participants a hands-on experience of movable-type typesetting and printing. Through such interactions, the various elements of Zhejiang stepped out from the display cases into daily life, transforming “memories of history” into “possibilities for the future”.

Renewal

It is often said that the vitality of copyright lies in enabling tradition to continue shining in the present. Many foreign participants, after visiting the exhibition, remarked, “Here, we have seen the rich diversity of copyright works and China’s active efforts to protect them.”

How can China’s fine traditional culture be integrated with the popular trends favored by today’s youth? At the exhibition, Hangzhou Tanzhi Universe Network Co., Ltd., based in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, presented the mobile game “Three Kingdoms: Gazing at Divine China”. Its booth, covering less than ten square meters, became a focal point of attention.

As the theme song of the 1994 TV series “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” played, participants stopped to try on Zhen Ji’s hair ornaments, don Eastern Han costumes, and line up to take photos.

Unlike most mobile games on the market that focus on fast reflexes and thrills, “Three Kingdoms: Gazing at Divine China” places greater emphasis on the faithful restoration of historical details.

The game’s producer explained that the team’s creative philosophy is “Respect the ancient without being antiquated”—respecting historical context while integrating modern aesthetics, so that “national style” gains a “new life”.

Technological empowerment has provided solid support for this “new vitality”. Confronted with the challenge of producing 200 scenes, the team introduced AI tools such as Kuaishou Kling to assist in generating base materials, which were then meticulously refined by artists, ultimately achieving a “90-point effect”.

As WIPO Director General Daren Tang noted at the opening ceremony of the meeting, the inventions and creations of ancient China have left the world with a valuable legacy. Today, China’s copyright industry is thriving, driving economic growth and creating jobs. In particular, through digital transformation, Chinese creative products such as games, films, and trendy collectibles have gained widespread popularity both at home and abroad.

In Zhejiang, from Wukong to Nezha and now to Three Kingdoms, one market principle has been consistently proven—good content never lacks an audience. With the emergence of new platforms and new technologies, online games, online literature, and online dramas are advancing side by side, setting off a wave of “Chinese style” across the globe and becoming the “new three staples” of cultural export. Through richer forms of dialogue, they are not only “going out” to overseas markets, but also gradually “going in” and “going up”.

Dialogue

The Sphinx of Egypt, motifs on Sasanian Persian silver coins, African eagle-shaped masks… At this exhibition, the Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society presented 193 graphic seals, shattering many people’s preconceptions: seal carving can be played with in such creative ways?

“In the past, cultural exchanges were often about ‘us showing you (China’s) good things,’” said Chen Zhenlian, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Vice President and Secretary-General of the Xiling Seal Engraver’s Society. “This time, by condensing the cultural symbols, natural wonders, and spiritual totems of 193 United Nations member states into the surface of seal carvings just a few square centimeters in size, we have achieved a side-by-side presentation where China and the West ‘break the dimensional barrier’. This is not only a breakthrough in artistic creation, but also, by using Chinese aesthetics as a medium, the establishment of a tangible ‘visual code’ for global cultural diversity.”

“Each seal, whether representing a major power or a small nation, holds the same place in the scroll, embodying the principle of equality and inclusiveness in international cultural exchange,” added Chen Zhenlian. He noted that all of the seals are original impressions, with each work being unique in its own right, “which also echoes the theme of the copyright exhibition.”

Traditional culture belongs to the past, the present, and even more to the future.

Today, more and more practitioners of traditional culture are no longer content with simply “having passion and craftsmanship”. They have begun to emphasize an industrialized mindset, ensuring that traditional cultural products can also withstand the test of the market.

A splash of “China Blue” at the exhibition offered a Zhejiang example. Tongxiang Fengtongyu Blue Calico Co., Ltd. used plants as dyes and employed printing and dyeing techniques passed down for over a thousand years to create wall hangings, table runners, backpacks, dolls, and more. Each exhibited piece was accompanied by a copyright registration QR code, realizing visualized and transparent copyright management, and providing a technological model for the management of folk art copyrights.

“This exhibition is an important initiative for our province to promote cultural outreach,” said the head of the Copyright Division of the Publicity Department of the CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee. In recent years, Zhejiang has focused on addressing challenges in folk art such as difficulties in copyright confirmation, legal rights protection, and results transformation. The province has incorporated the protection and promotion of folk art copyrights into its efforts to accelerate the building of a high-level cultural powerhouse. By deeply exploring the rich connotations and unique value of folk art, Zhejiang is pioneering practices in copyright confirmation, market supervision, resource circulation, and results transformation for folk art.

It is believed that through awakening and renewal, and through ongoing dialogue with the world and with the times, more works carrying copyright “ID cards” will step onto the world stage, bringing with them the cultural warmth and innovative vitality of Zhejiang.