Artificial intelligence-generated content has emerged as an independent industry on the Hurun Most Valuable China Brands 2026 list, with eight Chinese AI brands featured in the rankings. ByteDance's Doubao topped the AIGC sector with a brand value of 8.5 billion yuan ($1.26 billion).

Released by the Hurun Research Institute in Shanghai on Aug 25, the 2026 list, now in its 21st edition, features 502 brands from 17 countries worldwide, with a combined brand value of 8 trillion yuan.

Apple retained the top spot with a brand value of 1.3 trillion yuan. Kweichow Moutai ranked second with 700 billion yuan, remaining the most valuable Chinese brand. Douyin and WeChat tied for third place with 300 billion yuan each, making them the most valuable Chinese private brands. Huawei returned to the overall top 10 for the first time in two decades, with its brand value rising 23 percent year-on-year to 100 billion yuan.

Consumer electronics remained the highest-value sector, with a total value of 1.55 trillion yuan. Finance, food and beverage, and automotive industries had the most listed brands.

Meanwhile, Shanghai maintained its position as China's leading brand hub, hosting 138 listed brands with a combined value of 2.9 trillion yuan, driven by both the aggregation of international brands and the growth of local brands.

Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher at Hurun Report, said: "Over the past year, China's economy has undergone structural adjustment and a shift in growth drivers. Generative AI, high-end electronics, social content platforms, and cultural tourism have become the main drivers of brand value growth, while the food and beverage industry has benefited from consumption upgrading and the revival of time-honored national brands."

According to Hoogewerf, brands with the strongest value growth are concentrated in AIGC, premium smartphones, content social platforms, cultural tourism, and new energy vehicle sub-brands. Sectors seeing notable declines include baijiu, gaming, some new-energy automakers, traditional internet platforms, and cosmetics.

A total of 37 Chinese brands have evolved into globally influential names, with a combined global brand value of 800 billion yuan. According to the list, brands such as Honor, Hisense, and Ecovacs generate roughly half of their revenue from overseas markets, while Xiaomi, DJI, Dreame, and Lenovo derive twice as much revenue from abroad as from China.

Source: China Daily