For the 11th consecutive year, China's annual government work report highlighted cross-border e-commerce as a driver of economic growth. This year's 'two sessions' discussions underscored the sector's role in bridging markets, with livestreaming emerging as an unexpected cultural ambassador.
"Each blind box is like opening a tiny window to global connection," says Geng Lu, an English-language livestream host whose studio has become ground zero for an international phenomenon. From anime figurines to collectible art pieces, these mystery packages now account for 17% of China's $837 billion export e-commerce sector.
Cameras to Capture Hidden Stories
Parallel to this consumer trend, CGTN's Wander Lens 2025 project sends cameras worldwide to document personal narratives. Recent submissions include:
A Sherpa mountaineer filming glacial shifts in Nepal
Cambodian students recording traditional silk-weaving techniques
Chinese food vendors documenting night market culture through 360-degree cams
Cultural Exports Meet Grassroots Storytelling
As Geng's livestream viewers surge past 2 million daily, business analysts note a pattern: 68% of returning customers cite "emotional connection through play" as their purchase motivator. Meanwhile, Wander Lens footage fuels academic research into Asian innovation patterns, with Stanford's Global Policy Center calling it "an anthropological goldmine."
