How tiny beads shape a big trend in China's experience economy

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- Wang Luyi picked up a yellow bead and set it into place with precision, while nearby, a familiar cartoon figure came to life, building row by row.

"It helps me forget everything else," said Wang, 24. "When I'm doing this, I don't think about pressure or deadlines."

Known as pixel bead art, a form of handicraft using small plastic fuse beads, the hobby involves arranging the beads into patterns and fusing them with heat.

Once considered a niche pastime, the slow and almost meditative craft is now attracting young people like Wang who are looking for relaxation and hands-on experiences in a country where daily life is often defined by rapid change, bustling cities and packed schedules.

Over the past year, the hobby has spread quickly across China, taking hold in shopping malls and studios.

Wang often visits a DIY studio in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning Province in northeast China.

Shop owner Guan Shuai said he replaced all other handicrafts in his store with bead art products after demand surged in 2025. More than 30 similar shops have opened in the same building, he added.

In Shanghai, Shi Jue, owner of a handicraft studio in Xuhui District, said demand has grown quickly since the shop introduced bead crafting last year.

"On weekends, the studio is almost always full, mostly with local young people and college students," Shi said.

At another workshop in the city, the one-hour bead-crafting session, priced at 29.9 yuan (about 4 U.S. dollars), has seen more than 11,000 purchases over the past year.

Online data reflects the same momentum. Sales of pixel bead art products exceeded 100 million yuan in 2025 on the e-commerce platform Taobao.

An interest report by lifestyle platform Rednote found that bead art, alongside activities like crochet and handmade bracelets, ranked among its top 10 "unexpected" trending hobbies last year, with related discussions exceeding 23 million.

The consumer boom has also reached the supply chain. MARD, a bead art brand, currently produces about two tonnes per month, and since the start of this year, output across the supply chain has risen by 150 percent year on year, with market demand continuing to grow, according to Ma Yangjun, founder of Hangzhou MARD Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd.

Economists say the trend reflects a deeper shift in China's economy, from buying things to buying experiences. China's per capita GDP rose from 10,000 U.S. dollars to over 13,000 dollars between 2021 and 2025.

"As per capita GDP approaches 10,000 U.S. dollars, basic material needs are largely satisfied, and consumption begins to shift toward emotional and psychological fulfillment," said Zhang Yi, CEO of iiMedia Research, a market research firm.

This transition is often described as the rise of the "experience economy," driven in large part by demand for more personalized and emotionally meaningful consumption.

From pottery and glassblowing to "guzi" merchandise, a catchall term for spin-off goods tied to anime, music and gaming, experience-driven consumption is gaining popularity among young consumers.

The iiMedia Research projected that China's emotional economy would exceed a valuation of 4.5 trillion yuan by 2029, almost double its value in 2024.

Policymakers have also taken note, with a plan released by the General Office of the State Council in January calling for the development of new growth areas in service consumption, including "emotion-driven and experience-based services."

Regions, including Hubei, Jiangxi and Chongqing, have even incorporated terms such as "emotional value" and "emotional economy" into their government work reports to encourage consumption this year.

The number of newly registered handicraft-related businesses has increased. In 2025, a total of 6,955 such companies were registered, up 31.08 percent from a year earlier, according to Qichacha, a leading platform offering company information inquiry services.

"The handicraft market represented by bead art holds significant growth potential," said Cao Yixia, a researcher at the Institute of Applied Economics under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. However, Cao added that the industry still needs to address copyright challenges and strengthen product innovation to sustain long-term growth.

In Yiwu, a major hub for small commodities, traditional toy manufacturers are also adapting, with Zhejiang Lifeshine Arts & Crafts Co., Ltd. beginning the development of bead art products last October.

Zhong Yulong, chairman of the company, said the experience economy and the small crafts that reflect it may offer something increasingly rare, a slower and more personal way to create value.

"Handmade products carry emotion. They are a medium for self-expression and even healing, especially in an era shaped by rapid advances in digital technology and artificial intelligence," Zhong said.