In an effort to carry centuries-old craftsmanship into modern production and global markets, China is advancing its first national policy dedicated to historically classic industries, with a two-stage plan stretching to 2030.
The guideline, jointly issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments on Monday, puts measurable ambitions at the front of that drive. By 2028, China aims to foster 50 leading companies each reaching a scale of 10 billion yuan ($1.49 billion), create 100 nationally recognized Chinese consumer brands and build several industry clusters worth 100 billion yuan apiece.
By 2030, the country plans to cultivate a group of world-class enterprises and renowned brands, pushing historically classic industries toward the middle and upper reaches of global value chains, according to the guideline.
The term embraces silk, tea, porcelain, traditional Chinese medicine, brewing, arts and crafts, and the "four treasures of the study" — the brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
Far from being relics behind glass, the sectors already form a formidable economic base. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that the number of major enterprises had reached 25,000, with nearly 3.5 million employees and combined annual revenue of about 8 trillion yuan.
