Gen Zs in China snapping up replicas of museum artefacts. Is this about cultural confidence?

– Museum artefacts usually sit behind glass displays, quietly awaiting admirers. In China, they are also being transformed into exquisite replicas that young people are rushing to buy at museum wenchuang (cultural souvenir) stores – and flaunt on social media. This appears to be one of the ways people are displaying cultural confidence, as China develops into a global powerhouse. Leading the trend is a fridge magnet made in the likeness of the fengguan (phoenix crown) worn by Empress Xiaoduan of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which is displayed at the National Museum of China. Over 2.3 million units have reportedly…