Where trading card game meets Chinese culture

The two-day 2024 Hero Battle National Grand Prix of TCG (Trading Card Game) was held at the Expo Center in the Pudong New Area over the weekend, providing a platform for card players nationwide to display their skills and engage in friendly exchanges.

As one of the top card game competitions in the country hosted by domestic leading pan-entertainment company Kayou, it has sparked a card competition craze across the country over recent years.

Since 2019, more than 3,000 competitions have been held in over 100 cities, attracting more than 200,000 participants, making it one of the largest TCG competitions in the country.

The national final in Shanghai over the weekend highlighted the rise of domestic animation card games to the center stage of intellectual sports.

Wen Wen, director of the Culture Development Center of the General Administration of Sport of China, jointly launched the competition.

The 241 finalists came from 18 provinces across the country. They emerged after fierce competition in the national tour, which started in June last year, covering 35 cities with a total of 2,996 participants.

Ultimately, Li Zerui from Chengdu, Sichuan Province, overcame all challenges and won the championship.

Various versions and themed cards have been launched to meet the needs of different players, and an increasing number of players were using domestic animation IP card decks in this year’s Grand Prix.

The “Qin’s Moon” Hero Duel series recreates the legends of the Hundred Schools of Thought, based on card game rules, allowing various schools such as Mohism, Taoism and Confucianism to appear in the form of cards, helping to promote traditional culture and showcasing the charm of Chinese culture.

“I am glued to traditional Chinese culture and the cards have diverse elements of it, which are intriguing,” said a card player Qin Le.