“Beijing Vibe” Fuels Record‑Breaking Short‑Video Contest, Showcasing the Capital’s Fusion of Heritage, Tech, and Culture

The contest, officially dubbed the “北京范儿 short‑video competition,” was rolled out by a coalition of municipal cultural bureaus, media outlets and tech partners with a simple but ambitious brief: invite Beijing residents, foreigners who have fallen in love with the metropolis, and local institutions to submit brief films that spotlight heart‑warming stories of international cooperation and everyday moments that reveal the city’s broader trends. Organisers described the effort as a way to “use small insights to showcase grand themes and small stories to reflect large trends.” The response was immediate and massive. Within weeks, more than 70,000 entries had been uploaded, and the hashtag #北京范儿 has amassed over 3.1 billion views on platforms such as Weibo, making it one of the most talked‑about cultural tags of the year.

Each month, a panel of curators selects a handful of videos that best embody the spirit of the “Beijing vibe,” awarding them visibility across state‑run and private channels. The competition runs through May 2026, giving creators a year‑long runway to experiment with everything from traditional opera performances in the courtyard of a siheyuan to a drone‑captured panorama of the city’s newest eco‑park. While there is no single narrative arc that the contest follows, the sheer diversity of the entries paints a vivid portrait of a city in motion: a place where ancient imperial palaces sit side by side with cutting‑edge AI installations, where street food stalls serve up centuries‑old recipes alongside experimental fusion dishes.

Beyond the contest, the phrase 北京范儿 has been surfacing across a wide range of recent events, each echoing a different facet of the capital’s evolving identity. In late August 2025, the Beijing Milu Ecological Experimental Center staged a public science celebration to mark the 40th anniversary of the reintroduction of milu deer – a species once extinct in China – to the city’s northern forests. The event, which also launched an IP series titled “一鹿锦绣” (One Deer, Splendid), highlighted the city’s growing emphasis on ecological restoration and public education, underscoring a new, environmentally conscious strand of the Beijing vibe.

A parallel story of modernization unfolded at the China People’s Anti‑Japanese War Memorial Hall, where curators have recently introduced AI‑driven interactive experiences. Visitors can now step into a “family letter listening space” that reconstructs wartime correspondence through synthetic voice technology, or browse a song jukebox that plays period‑appropriate music as they wander the exhibition halls. The upgrades, described by museum officials as a “fusion of memory and future,” illustrate how Beijing’s cultural institutions are leveraging technology to deepen emotional engagement, a trend that many contest participants have captured in their own short films.

Fashion, too, has found its own niche under the Beijing‑style banner. A recent Weibo post that ranked the top fifteen Foamposite One sneaker colorways sparked a flurry of commentary about the city’s streetwear scene, with enthusiasts noting how Beijing’s young creatives blend global sneaker culture with local motifs – from the red lanterns of Dongcheng to the minimalist lines of 798 art district. The post, tagged with #北京范儿, demonstrated that the term is as much about subcultural swagger as it is about historic grandeur.

Even agriculture and leisure have joined the chorus. In the rapidly developing Daxing district, a new tropical‑fruit picking experience—featuring yellow‑skinned lemons and vivid dragon fruit—has become a weekend hotspot for families seeking a bite of “rural chic” without leaving the metropolitan perimeter. Meanwhile, pop‑star Na Ying, a household name from the hit show “花儿” (Hua Shao), sparked a light‑hearted viral moment by jokingly proposing to bring African lemurs to Chaoyang Park as part of her latest season’s “Bird CBD” pet‑paradise segment. The anecdote, while playful, reflects the way Beijing’s landmarks are woven into contemporary pop culture narratives.

What ties these disparate threads together is the underlying notion that 北京范儿 is less a static definition than a living, breathing cultural identifier. It is a label that social media users apply to anything they deem quintessentially Beijing—whether it’s the quiet dignity of a tea ceremony in a renovated courtyard, the high‑octane energy of a midnight skate session under the CCTV Tower, or the quiet reverence of an AI‑enhanced museum exhibit. In this sense, the term functions much like the English phrase “New York vibe,” a shorthand that conjures a whole city’s atmosphere in a single tag.

The rise of the short‑video competition has amplified this organic process, giving ordinary citizens a platform to codify and broadcast their own interpretations of the city’s style. While there is no single individual crowned as the architect of Beijing’s vibe, a constellation of institutions is actively shaping the narrative. The Beijing Media Corporation, a state‑run broadcaster, has been a key promoter, streaming contest highlights and curating related content across television and digital channels. The Beijing Municipal Tax Service, though seemingly unrelated, has contributed by streamlining business procedures for creative enterprises, indirectly fostering a more vibrant creative economy that feeds the contest’s pipeline. International firms such as PwC have also made their mark, sponsoring community‑based sustainability projects that echo the city’s growing eco‑consciousness, as seen in the milu deer celebration.

A smaller, but symbolically resonant player is Beijing Youfan’er Technology Co., Ltd., a startup whose very name incorporates the word “范儿.” While details of its activities remain low‑key, observers suspect the firm is behind some of the contest’s backend infrastructure, providing AI tools that help participants edit and polish their submissions. Its involvement highlights how commercial innovation is interlaced with cultural expression, reinforcing the notion that Beijing’s style is as much about entrepreneurial spirit as it is about artistic flair.

The broader Chinese media landscape has also been echoing the sentiment. China.com, a major online portal, recently rolled out a bilingual micro‑video series called “中国范儿” (Chinese Style) that, while national in scope, frequently dips into Beijing‑centric episodes—showcasing everything from the city’s iconic hutongs to its high‑tech smart‑city pilots. These efforts dovetail with the contest’s aim to capture the capital’s “international cooperation” angle, emphasizing how Beijing serves as a bridge between tradition and global modernity.

All of this activity has translated into a palpable sense of optimism on the platforms where Beijing’s residents share their lives. The hashtag #北京范儿 consistently trends with positive sentiment, its comments a mix of pride, nostalgia and forward‑looking excitement. Users celebrate the city’s historical sites, applaud new ecological initiatives, and cheer on the latest sneaker drop, all under the same umbrella of a shared cultural identifier.

In the coming months, as the contest moves toward its final round in spring 2026, the city will likely see another wave of storytelling that pulls together these threads. Whether the winning videos will focus on the quiet contemplation of an AI‑guided museum exhibit, the exuberant energy of a sneaker‑culture flash mob in Sanlitun, or the serene rhythm of milu deer grazing in a reclaimed forest, they will collectively offer a snapshot of what it means to be Beijing‑stylish today.

For outsiders looking to understand the capital beyond the usual guidebook clichés, Beijing’s “范儿” offers a useful compass. It points to a city that embraces its imperial past while sprinting toward a high‑tech future, that cherishes communal rituals just as much as it celebrates individual expression, and that, above all, invites anyone who walks its streets—whether on foot, on a scooter or through a smartphone screen—to add their own brushstroke to a vibrant, ever‑evolving portrait. The short‑video contest may have ignited the spark, but the collective energy of millions of participants, institutions and everyday citizens continues to keep the Beijing vibe alive, dynamic, and unmistakably its own.