In this massive fashion story with six covers, supermodel He Cong [IG] is styled by Punkcherry in ‘New Dawn Ahead’. The editorial is lensed by Nick Yang [IG] for the January 2026 issue of Marie Claire China. / Hair by Minghu Zhang; makeup by Valentina Li

The Brilliance of Chinese Creatives Is Breathtaking

AOC is not alone in looking forward to new issues of China’s fashion and lifestyle media. These talented creatives have reached a level of excellence so profound that viewing these images online absolutely has an effect on Anne’s brain and many others’ brains soaking in the vibrancy of these images.

Not everyone wants to look at uber-sophisticated fashion photography, but Chinese magazines cover a wide range of photographic imagery and storytelling. And it’s rare that the creative teams deliver an ordinary-looking fashion or travel story across multiple magazines.

The consistency of excellence among China’s top creatives is astounding. And I must personally go on the record saying so.

Perceiving beauty activates the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine, creating pleasure, and signaling safety, which boosts well-being by reducing stress, improving mood, and promoting cognitive function, as beauty often represents cues for health, abundance, and harmony.

That’s a thought worth considering — creating a positive line of inquiry in which beauty is associated with abundance but also harmony. We do associate beauty with abundance across most cultures. And while the wearer of these clothes and beauty products probably knows their backstory in much greater detail, I do believe that just being exposed to presentations like this one, benefits large numbers of humans exponentially. Flowers may set more brains on fire across the world.

Whatever the people need, just be sure we turn to Chinese media for the creative execution. Some of us may be coasting on how we rate our own talent, compared to theirs. Also, it’s easy to understand how Elizaveta Porodina ends up being so highly thought-of in China. They like complexity of thought and execution, layers of meaning, all the ‘heady’ stuff in which Porodina excels. AOC will take a look at who besides EP has been invited into China’s realm of creative excellence.