PBESProceedings of Business and Economic Studies2209-26412209-265XBio-Byword Scientific Publishing Pty. Ltd.10.26689/PBES.v9i9.15614Article“Commerce as a Medium”: International Communication Mechanisms and Improvement Paths for Traditional Festival Cultural IP Products—A Case Study of Yiwu’s Festival Supplies Markethttps://artdesignp.com/journal/PBES/9/9/10.26689/PBES.v9i9.15614WangZixuan,ZhanShanshan2026992026-09-30The successful UNESCO inscription of the Spring Festival and Yiwu’s role as a sub-venue of the 2026 CCTV Spring Festival Gala have brought more attention to the cultural communication value of Yiwu festival supplies. Based on commodity culture theory, the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional Chinese culture, transnational advocacy networks, and intelligent communication studies, this paper examines how traditional festival cultural IP products enter international markets through Yiwu. The study finds that Yiwu first changes cultural symbols into physical products. These products then move through trade networks and are used and interpreted again in overseas consumer settings. Zodiac toys, multilingual New Year decorations, and licensed IP products show younger expression, local translation, and joint development. However, there is still a distance between “products being sold” and “culture being understood.” The main problems are weak explanation of symbols, a short life cycle of popular products, limited local adaptation, and an evaluation system that depends too much on transaction data. This paper therefore gives suggestions on festival cultural resources, public design, overseas cooperation, and communication evaluation.Commerce as a medium, Traditional festival cultural IP, Yiwu festival supplies market, International communication

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