A visitor inks Chinese characters onto a fan. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Though most are interested in traditional content, such as calligraphy, I Ching (the Book of Changes) and ancient poetry, these young followers of traditional Chinese culture also subscribe to channels with modern characteristics, including films, technology and design.

Gan Lu, general manager of the marketing center at Particle Information, says that the popularity of guoxue among younger users is marked with a sense of modernity, as their passion for it is often presented in their preferred forms of entertainment. For instance, they choose TV shows, travel destinations and products that have rich cultural connotations.

"With the increasing popularity of guoxue comes the prevalence of culture-related variety shows and the rise of the cultural and creative industries," Gan observes. "It shows the subtle influence that traditional culture exerts on the values of contemporary youth."

Gong Pengcheng, director of the Cultural Resources Research Center at Peking University, says: "We have known that fashion trends and entertainment consumption of today's young people bear the stamp of traditional culture. However, in our education system, guoxue has yet to be implemented."