In today’s increasingly globalized world, cultural exchange and integration are advancing at an unprecedented pace, infusing endless vitality into innovation across various fields. Historically, the development of cultural sectors has been closely linked to technological progress. The occurrence of technological revolutions has promoted cultural innovation by providing new material supports for cultural transmission, while the flourishing of culture has, in turn, unleashed significant potential for technological advancement.
In recent years, technology has fully empowered the cultural industry, giving rise to a plethora of new cultural business models and scenarios. The integration of culture and technology has become a vital pathway for fostering high-quality development in the cultural sector, with the trading card phenomenon serving as a notable example. Originating in the 1990s in Europe and the United States, trading cards later spread to Japan and other parts of Asia, evolving into a cross-cultural global phenomenon. As a burgeoning consumption model, trading cards are gradually transcending borders and sparking a fresh wave of enthusiasm worldwide. The journey from trend to sustained success is undoubtedly driven by technological empowerment, which propels the ongoing advancement of the trading card market.
The fusion of traditional culture and advanced technology is embodied in these small cards, fundamentally supported by robust smart manufacturing. The printing industry, traditionally seen as conventional, is rapidly transitioning toward cultivating and forming new productive forces. As the era of low-threshold, low-cost printing fades, the industry now aims for green, flexible, and digitized production processes to enhance the high-quality development of printing and packaging. In the card gaming sector’s “future factory” in Yiwu, technology reaches every corner of the operation.
Within this large workshop, an industrial internet platform has bestowed new functionalities upon production equipment. Multiple robotic arms and intelligent storage robots coordinate rapidly, communicating through automated systems. This intelligent management allows the factory to achieve comprehensive digital management and highly automated production, maximizing efficiency.
Moreover, the development of the “future factory” ensures that product manufacturing aligns more closely with consumer demand for quality. With the proliferation of the internet and widespread use of electronic devices, digital printing technology has emerged. Based on computers, networks, and digital equipment, this technology has enabled digital, automated, and intelligent printing processes. The Kayo Group boasts top-tier printing equipment from renowned global brands like Manroland, coupled with proprietary double-sided printing technology and innovative techniques such as cold foiling, dazzling colors, and 3D effects. The advent of three-dimensional printing marks a new “industrial revolution” in traditional imagery and printing, ensuring that each product withstands the test of time and becomes a true collectible.
Taking Kayo’s first set of sports culture trading cards, designed under the guidance of the National Sports Administration of China, as an example, the features of these cards deeply integrate with the collection of cultural relics. Transparent silk printing highlights the glaze and dimension of ceramics, tactile paper recreates the colors and textures of ancient calligraphy and paintings, and cards depicting snuff bottles even use scented inks that release fragrance when rubbed. As carriers of cultural dissemination, these innovative expressions allow a small card to showcase the profound heritage of ancient Chinese sports culture both domestically and internationally, promoting cultural exchange and communication while displaying the beauty of Chinese card craftsmanship. In this context, these tiny cards have become tools for international social interaction and carriers for showcasing traditional Chinese culture, with their positive value being evident.
By leveraging new technologies to empower outstanding traditional Chinese culture, a new path has been carved for cultural development, igniting the cultural code and spiritual strength deeply etched in the hearts of the Chinese people. Additionally, the current success of “Made in China” going global presents significant opportunities for “cultural export.” It is essential to recognize that the world’s deep recognition of China ultimately resides in the cultural domain. This “cultural soft power” is poised to further bolster China’s “economic hard power,” facilitating high-quality development.
