Collectibles trend keeps climbing

She picked up a Warner Bros'100th anniversary card to demonstrate: "The PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film layer has a thickness deviation of less than 0.1 millimeters, and the gold stamping position tolerance is controlled within 0.3 millimeters. Only Chinese factories can achieve this level of consistency," she says.

According to a leading card-grading agency in the United States, 75 percent of Kakawow cards achieve a Gem Mint 10 rating, well above the US industry average of 50 percent.

Cao Wei, general manager of the card trading platform Card Hobby, established in 2014, has been a collector since 1997 and has witnessed China's collectible card culture grow over the years.

"To hold a piece of Michael Jordan's game-worn jersey embedded in a card carries immense emotional value for fans. It's not just a card; it's a tangible memory," Cao recalls. His collecting journey started with matchbox covers and stamps, then gradually moved toward modern trading cards.

Today, the platform processes transactions of nearly 300 million yuan monthly, with over 600,000 registered users worldwide, making it a key bridge that links Chinese card culture to global markets.

Though cards with Chinese elements currently account for just 5 to 10 percent of transactions, Cao sees tremendous growth potential.

"The challenge for cultural cards going global is IP appeal," Cao explains.

"You need international customers to buy in. You need a breakout story," he adds.

He cites Ne Zha as proof — after being licensed and distributed as a trading card series, the IP became highly active on the platform, proving to be a successful case of export of cultural product.