Guangxi Zhuang Brocade Enters the World Cup, Bringing Intangible Cultural Heritage to the Global Stage
The “Thousand-Year Zhuang Brocade: From Villages to the World” — 2026 FIFA World Cup Greater China Region “Intangible Cultural Heritage Meets the World Cup” Tan Xiangguang Zhuang Brocade product launch event was held on June 8 in Nanning, Guangxi.
On June 8th, at the press conference, local people held the Zhuang brocade products and took a photo with Tan Xiangguang (third from the left). (CNS)
Tan Xiangguang is a Chinese Arts and Crafts Master and an autonomous regional-level representative inheritor of the Binyang Zhuang brocade weaving tradition in Guangxi. Her team officially unveiled a series of products that have received official licensing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The collection includes Zhuang brocade footballs, Zhuang brocade ornaments, and Zhuang brocade jerseys. This marks the first time in history that the millennia-old Zhuang brocade has appeared on the stage of the world's premier football tournament.
Zhuang brocade is one of Guangxi's most representative ethnic handicrafts. Together with Yun brocade, Shu brocade, and Song brocade, it is recognized as one of China's Four Great Brocades, with a history of more than 1,000 years.
Cai Qing, Chief Recommendation Officer of Lisheng for the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Meets the World Cup” project, said that while the products displayed at the event may appear to be simple objects, they embody the tremendous efforts of every heritage artisan and their team. From design, prototyping, review, and packaging to color selection, every detail had to meet FIFA's stringent standards and pass its rigorous approval process.
Tang Zhengzhu, President of the Guangxi Academy of Intangible Cultural Heritage, said that Tan Xiangguang's Zhuang brocade products have moved from rural weaving looms to the global football arena, representing a new breakthrough in the cross-sector integration and international expansion of Guangxi's intangible cultural heritage. Supported by World Cup-related orders, the project has launched a program to assist a thousand villagers, exploring a development model that combines “intangible cultural heritage + sports IP + rural employment.” It provides a new model for the contemporary preservation and inheritance of traditional ethnic minority craftsmanship in Guangxi.
The inclusion of Zhuang brocade in the World Cup also carries significant social value. Liu Guoxiang, Director of the Women's Development Department of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Women's Federation, noted that Tan Xiangguang has been weaving brocade since the age of 16 and has continued the craft for 55 years. Through herefforts, more than a thousand new momsand home-based women have been able to find employment close to home. (CNS)