China

New expression of Chinese story, 'going out to sea' shines again

2025-02-17   

On February 14th, the Chinese animated film "Ne Zha: The Demonic Children Roar in the Sea" was officially released in North America. Over the first weekend, there were about 750 screening cinemas, and some cinema seats were sold out during prime time. When a Chinese trendy toy brand recently opened in Bangkok, Thailand, it was crowded by consumers of all colors. Many young people queue up all night just to grab their favorite toys. According to overseas media reports, trendy toys have become a highly regarded "Chinese specialty" among overseas consumers. In recent years, with the help of new carriers such as cultural and creative products, games, online literature, film and television dramas, and clothing, Chinese culture has swept the world with a more fashionable, diverse, and open attitude, becoming a new window for the world to understand and comprehend China. What is the password for breaking through the barriers of these new carriers of cultural "going global" overseas? On the basis of being seen, how can Chinese culture truly "impress" global audiences? With these questions in mind, the reporter conducted interviews and research. Adapting to the perspective of young people, "Chinese aesthetics" is extremely popular in the experience area of the domestic game "Black Myth: Wukong" at the "Internet Light" Expo site of the 2024 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit in overseas circles. The exhibition area was crowded with foreign visitors, holding postcards and queuing up to clock in and stamp. The Contemporary China and World Studies Institute of the China Foreign Languages Administration recently released the "2024 International Communication Index Report of Chinese Cultural Symbols", selecting the top ten digital cultural IPs for 2024 based on audience feedback and other factors. The selected IPs cover various digital cultural communication carriers such as film and television dramas, games, trendy games, and online literature, among which "Black Myth: Wukong" ranks first in the comprehensive international communication index. How did this online game, set against the backdrop of the Chinese classical novel "Journey to the West," ignite the "Wukong craze" among players worldwide? This is a visual feast that vividly presents ancient China and Chinese mythology. This game is like a precious invitation letter, allowing players to deeply experience the rich mythological stories of China. On game rating websites, Chinese cultural elements are frequently mentioned by foreign players. In the digital age, the main forms of content dissemination are images, videos, etc., emphasizing interactive participation. This requires innovative transformation of Chinese traditional culture into mass, modern, and digital forms to meet the needs of a wide audience In the view of Associate Professor Liu Chen from the School of Journalism and Communication at Hunan University, the combination and collision of traditional Chinese culture and modern technology have produced a cultural perspective and expression that is more in line with young people, becoming an important reason for new cultural carriers such as "Black Myth: Wukong" to "go global" and "gain fans" overseas. There are also Chinese movies and TV dramas that attract fans. In the video on demand market in Southeast Asia, Chinese TV dramas have surpassed American TV shows and become the second largest entertainment content for local users. In the field of free content, Chinese TV dramas have surpassed Korean dramas and become the most popular type of film and television drama among audiences with a user share of 40% Hou Xiaonan, CEO and President of Yuewen Group, recently revealed at the Asia Television Forum Leaders' Summit. Online literature is also popular. In November 2024, the British Library held a ceremony to collect Chinese online literature, including 10 works such as "Celebrating the Year", covering topics such as history, science fiction, and fantasy. These Chinese online articles have already been translated into multiple languages overseas, including English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Thai, and more. The president of a European publishing house said that local young people like Chinese online literature, especially those who are very interested in the aesthetic and cultural historical background of ancient China. A set of data intuitively demonstrates the overseas "fan base" strength of these new carriers - the sales revenue of Chinese independently developed games in overseas markets increased from 3.076 billion US dollars in 2014 to 18.557 billion US dollars in 2024; The export value of Chinese TV dramas will increase by about three times from 2012 to 2023; The market size of Chinese online literature going global in 2023 will exceed 4 billion yuan, with approximately 230 million overseas visiting users... In addition to the continuously growing numbers, there are also some new phenomena and trends that have attracted the attention of industry insiders. Ji Fangfang, associate researcher at the Institute of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, noticed that some works from the public have achieved remarkable results overseas and become an important force in the dissemination of Chinese culture. Many social media bloggers, folk artists, international students, and tourists, through their own efforts and creativity, have spread Chinese culture to various parts of the world in a way that is more closely related to daily life, "said Ji Fangfang. In addition, the dissemination power of some content products with more "light and lively" forms overseas should not be underestimated. Ji Fangfang gave an example that thanks to high-quality content, advanced technology, and platforms that cater to the current viewing experience, micro dramas, as a new form of content, provide global audiences with more diverse perspectives to experience new Chinese stories, which are both visually appealing and full of fun. Conveying universal human emotions, Chinese stories have a strong appeal. "These 'characters grown from the soil' are so cute." "I like the story of 'dry beach turning into golden beach'..." In Comoros, an African country thousands of miles away, many viewers have been captivated by a Chinese TV drama. The book 'Shan Hai Qing' inspires Comorian youth to fight against poverty and brings us a lot of inspiration Maurana Sharif, the Ambassador of Comoros to China, praised the country's "Shanhaiqing" craze, stating that the TV drama has added a sense of closeness to China among Comorians. As of August 2024, this TV drama reflecting the poverty alleviation process in western China has been translated into over 20 languages including Malay, Kazakh, French, Spanish, German, Korean, and broadcasted in more than 50 countries and regions. On overseas video websites, it has accumulated 134 million views and 16.74 million views... A story that happened in Xihaigu, Ningxia, why has it become popular overseas? The production company of the drama introduced that the popularity of "Shanhaiqing" overseas is not only due to the efforts made in narrative skills and dissemination channels, but more importantly, the local people have discovered that the series of problems facing their country can find the answers they want in Chinese wisdom and solutions. Ji Fangfang also noticed this phenomenon: "Audiences in African countries are very fond of our modern dramas. By watching modern dramas, they can gain a deeper understanding of the social landscape of modern China. This fully demonstrates that not only is our traditional culture deeply loved by everyone, but modern life also has strong appeal." The heat of dissemination comes from emotional resonance. The reason why some Chinese cultural products can be popular worldwide is essentially due to the common values of all mankind and the simplest and most universal emotions. For example, in "Shan Hai Qing", villagers use their hands to eliminate poverty, in "Ode to Joy", young women join hands to help each other, and in "The Three Body Problem", the unity and courage of humanity in the face of the threat of extraterrestrial civilization... In these new Chinese stories, the shared emotions of struggle, family, friendship, and others are interwoven and stirred in the works, forming the "greatest common denominator" of the works' cross time and space dissemination. The popularity of dissemination also stems from a sense of familiarity. Our films, TV dramas, and popular culture have already gained a place in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other places. Due to geographical proximity and cultural proximity, these regions have a high degree of acceptance and identification with Chinese culture Ji Fangfang introduced that when promoting some film and television works in these regions, special attention will be paid to language translation and dubbing, subtitle production, and even subtle adjustments will be made to the plot and character settings to better fit the aesthetic habits and emotional experiences of local audiences. Some games and fashion brands will combine local social media and television platforms in their promotion strategies to conduct precise advertising and promotion, in order to attract more audience attention and discussion. However, how to carry out "localization" transformation according to local conditions is still a common challenge faced by many cultural products when going global. A micro drama creator admitted that "cultural products' going global 'is not just a simple copy and paste of domestic products. To expand and deepen, it is undoubtedly necessary to have a considerable understanding of the cultural core and audience habits of the local market." It should not only be rich in cultural value but also bring economic benefits. During the 2024 Paris Fashion Week, a Chinese brand fashion designed by Ou Donghua, a representative inheritor of the national intangible cultural heritage project Miao embroidery, embroidered with the handmade Miao embroidery pattern of "Dragon Scale Iron Tower", made a stunning appearance. In fact, Chinese intangible cultural heritage elements are elements that many international brands adopt. How to better integrate traditional culture and fashion and gain recognition from global consumers, Chinese brands actually have a long way to go Qi Peiwen, the person in charge of the brand's overseas business, admitted that the first stop for "going global" was Paris. On the one hand, he hoped to have some localized communication with local consumers, and on the other hand, he also considered that Paris, as a fashion center, can directly feedback first-hand data and information. We hope to showcase traditional Chinese culture more intuitively to the world through offline experience stores, and provide local consumers with different cultural and consumption experiences. It is not difficult to find that in many cases of cultural "going global", market-oriented operation has become an important supporting force. Whether it's games, web dramas, or trendy consumer goods, they have formed relatively mature business models in the high-intensity competitive environment of the domestic market. In the process of going global, they not only export the products themselves, but also the ecological chain including brands, business models, etc., which provides a new path and possibility for Chinese culture to go global. If cultural dissemination cannot achieve economic benefits and lacks industrialized operation models, it is often difficult to achieve sustainable development Liu Chen analyzed that in the past, some traditional art performances were promoted overseas without effective commercial packaging and market operation, relying only on limited cultural exchange activities or government funding, making it difficult to form a long-term stable dissemination trend. Liu Chen suggested that relevant cultural entities should pay attention to balancing social and economic benefits in the process of "going global", create independent intellectual property rights with Chinese cultural genes, use copyright operation of original IP to realize the value transformation of the industrial chain, and build a sustainable cultural transmission model. The 2024 Report on International Communication Index of Chinese Cultural Symbols points out that the content of "going to sea" is "China-Chic", and traditional culture is reborn; The diversification of "going global" entities and cross-border collaborations have become a new engine for brand globalization; The extension of the "going global" ecosystem and the continuous expansion of the popular culture IP ecosystem. If market-oriented operation is the driving force for cultural "going global", then high-quality content remains the vitality of cultural "going global". Many experts have pointed out that some short dramas have problems such as exaggerated plot and shoddy production; Some online literary works have a single type and homogeneous content, which to some extent limits their ability to be published overseas; The interpretation of Chinese culture by some cultural consumer goods mostly stays on the surface, without truly spreading the essence of Chinese culture... "Although some cultural products have gained a certain degree of acceptance in business, the cultural values and concepts they convey may not be consistent with what we hope to spread." Ji Fangfang pointed out that works that are rich in cultural value and can bring economic benefits are undoubtedly what we are most looking forward to, but this is also true

Edit:Yao jue Responsible editor:Xie Tunan

Source:GMW.cn

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