CHINA FOCUS: As part of its 170th anniversary celebrations, British heritage luxury brand Burberry is reinforcing its association with the outdoors among Chinese audiences with a three-part documentary series titled “Expedition With Burberry,” starring long-standing brand ambassador Chen Kun.

Launching Monday and created in partnership with Chinese National Geographic, the series spotlights China’s vast natural landscapes and local cultures while placing the British label’s outerwear heritage at the center of a renewed, localized narrative, championing the “spirit of adventure” legacy that has underpinned the brand since Thomas Burberry invented the breathable, waterproof gabardine fabric in 1879.

Each episode pairs exploration with encounters with local communities, with the first focusing on Xi’an and the Qinling Mountains, a natural boundary between northern and southern China that produces sharply contrasting climates and terrains.

Guided by experts at Chinese National Geography, Burberry’s brand ambassador and famed actor Chen leads viewers from the Tang dynasty landmarks of Xi’an, including the Small Wild Goose Pagoda and a performance of Huayin Laoqiang folk music, to the Hanzhong Tiankeng at the southern foot of the range, before pushing into the central mountains.

The film also offers rare views of wildflowers, ancient forests, meadows and the Stone Seas shaped by glaciers more than 2 million years ago, with two additional episodes to spotlight further natural wonders across the country.

Josie Zhang, president of Burberry Greater China and member of the Burberry executive committee, said the exploration of China’s natural and cultural landscapes with Chinese National Geography was “a sincere tribute to China’s profound cultural heritage and precious ecological environment.”

He added that the series is aimed at encouraging people to reconnect with nature, honor local cultures and embrace the timeless exploratory spirit at the heart of our brand.

Li Shuanke, president and editor in chief of Chinese National Geography, added that Thomas Burberry’s “pursuit of outdoor exploration resonates with our philosophy of documenting nature and caring for the ecology.”

He described the series as an invitation “to reconsider the relationship between humanity and nature” and “respond to the universal concern for natural habitats.”

The China-focused expedition series is part of a cohort of special events and moments marking the anniversary.

In March, the brand kicked off a high-wattage anniversary campaign spotlighting the Burberry trench with 23 stars from film, music, sport and fashion, many of whom walked the runway, or sat in the front row, at Burberry’s trench-heavy fall 2026 show at Old Billingsgate market last week.

Last week, the brand also put a clever spin on its well-documented association with soccer fans with its fall 2026 campaign “A Good Sport,” which channels the rituals of match day with a star-studded lineup.

The cast mixes Hollywood, sport and fashion, with “Ted Lasso” lead actor Jason Sudeikis cheering from the stands alongside Romeo Beckham and Thai actor Bright. Jodie Turner-Smith is caught in the pre-game rush, while “Amandaland” actor Lucy Punch waits in line outside a burger van.

Burberry’s marketing push has been fueling brand awareness and sales.

For the fiscal year ended March 28, Burberry’s comparable store sales rose 2 percent, versus a 12 percent decline the prior year, with a 5 percent uptick in the fourth quarter and 10 percent growth in both Greater China and North America. Revenue was flat at constant exchange at 2.42 billion pounds, but the quality of sales improved, with adjusted operating margin climbing to 6.6 percent.

Those efforts, coupled with a “good, better, best” pricing ladder that puts trenches and cashmere within clearer reach of aspirational shoppers, helped swing operating profit to 115 million pounds from a 3 million pound loss, and return the group to a 21 million pound net profit from a 75 million pound loss.

Analysts at Citi and RBC have described strategy execution as “firmly on track” and momentum “continued.”