ACC Founder Victoria Mei Speaks at the Harvard China Forum: Building a Global Launchpad for Chinese Cultural IP through Communities and Content

In April 2025, Victoria Mei took the stage at the 28th Harvard China Forum as a representative of young Asian creatives. During a panel focused on "Global Chinese Innovation," she posed a provocative question that sparked lively debate:

"If we can create stories for Thor and Iron Man, why can't we build world-class narratives around Li Bai, Chang'e, or Nezha?"

This wasn't just a rhetorical flourish. It was a reflection of the work she's been doing for years.

As the founder of the Asian Creatives Club (ACC),Victoria Mei is carving out a new path for introducing Chinese culture to global audiences. From digital creator to community builder, her journey reflects a larger effort to systematize cultural expression and global storytelling.

Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2025/04/659b976c8729939acede1b60504574c0.jpg

Beyond Content Creation: Building Cultural Infrastructure

Mei began as a content creator on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, sharing stories about cultural differences between China and the West, and her own experience growing up Asian. While she gained a wide following, she soon realized that personal storytelling alone couldn't drive large-scale cultural impact.

So in 2022, she launched ACC in New York - an ecosystem connecting Asian creatives, cultural brands, and content resources. The mission? Not to chase viral fame, but to build a sustainable platform where young Asian voices could create, collaborate, and commercialize meaningful cultural content.

Today, ACC operates in six cities, including New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto. It has hosted over 50 offline events and incubated numerous content projects. Unlike a traditional content agency, ACC functions more like a creative community: part incubator, part support system, and part launchpad for Asian creatives aiming for global impact.

Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2025/04/1f1a84dab9581f0d9c2b686ee81f09e5.jpg

The Real Challenge for Chinese Cultural IP: A Lack of Narrative Infrastructure

Speaking at the forum, Mei laid out her core thesis: "We don't lack great stories-we lack ways of telling them that resonate globally."

While China is rich in cultural material, much of its export focuses on surface-level elements like costumes or symbols. Mei believes that genuine cultural exchange requires rethinking the narrative systems themselves.

One example is ACC's "Chinese Mythology IP Reimagination Project." The initiative reinterprets legendary figures like Nezha, Chang'e, and Li Bai - reinventing their visual identities and story arcs to align with global aesthetics. The team then integrates them into international consumer culture through animation, collectible toys, and branded collaborations.

This isn't about translating Chinese stories. It's about using universally understood narrative techniques-emotional arcs, character development, modern pacing - to recreate them in a way that global audiences can feel.

Her vision is clear: whoever succeeds in modularizing and branding cultural content will help shape the next wave of global creative industries.

Image: https://www.globalnewslines.com/uploads/2025/04/daac2d9829449cee731a3fec9dbca566.jpg

From Eco-Fashion to Cultural Startups: The Roots of Her Methodology

Interestingly, Mei's entry into cultural entrepreneurship didn't start with ACC. Before that, she founded Retopia , a sustainable fashion platform that combined secondhand streetwear with environmental advocacy. Through pop-up markets and experiential campaigns, she drew attention from outlets like Vogue Business .

But even then, her focus wasn't on sales - it was on designing behaviors and shaping attitudes. The key idea? Content as experience, and brand as a point of view.

That foundation deeply influenced the way she built ACC. "I've always asked: beyond consumption, can culture help young people explore who they are and what they stand for?"

Whether in fashion or storytelling, Mei isn't focused on marketing. She's focused on giving people the right to speak .

Inside ACC: An Ecosystem, Not a Content Factory

ACC operates on three main pillars:

- Education & Empowerment: Partnering with institutions like Columbia University and Parsons School of Design, ACC offers workshops on visual storytelling and cross-cultural writing to help young Asian creatives develop their narrative voice.

- Content Incubation: ACC collaborates with brands and institutions to launch original IP projects, such as seasonal culture redesigns and Chinese mythology revamps.

- Commercial Integration: By connecting creators to streetwear labels and e-commerce platforms, ACC helps turn creative ideas into viable products and brand partnerships.

This system isn't built for quick viral wins. It's designed to sustain long-term cultural expression and economic support for young creatives.

Not Just Building an IP, But Building the Right to Tell Stories

Mei is candid about her goal: she doesn't want to build a content empire with her name on it. She wants to create the infrastructure so that more Chinese cultural IPs can thrive globally - and endure.

In her eyes, China doesn't lack powerful stories. It lacks a community of storytellers , and the institutional support they need.

That's her deeper interpretation of "going global": not about exporting content, but about building the bridge for long-term cultural exchange.

She's already planning ACC's next phase, which includes co-developing animation with North American studios and launching a "Youth Expression Lab" to cultivate cultural literacy among teens.

To Mei, the best cultural IPs aren't just seen. They stay .

Closing Thought: Confidence in Culture Is Built, Not Declared

"Cultural confidence isn't vanity or a slogan," Mei said in a recent interview. "It comes from truly understanding the world, re-understanding ourselves, and building the language to express both."

She's not going global alone, nor is she just another content creator. The platform she's building is becoming a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary, real-world creative ecosystem.

It may not be the fastest way to scale. But it just might be the most meaningful way for Chinese culture to find its place - and voice - on the world stage.
Media Contact
Company Name: Fosmos consulting management co.,ltd.
Contact Person: Matt.Sun
Email: Send Email [http://www.universalpressrelease.com/?pr=acc-founder-victoria-mei-speaks-at-the-harvard-china-forum-building-a-global-launchpad-for-chinese-cultural-ip-through-communities-and-content]
City: Shanghai
Country: China
Website: https://2024overseas.forbeschina.com/

Legal Disclaimer: Information contained on this page is provided by an independent third-party content provider. GetNews makes no warranties or responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you are affiliated with this article or have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article and would like it to be removed, please contact retract@swscontact.com



This release was published on openPR.