Cantonese intangible cultural heritage, national trend exhibitions... At the recently concluded 137th Canton Fair, merchants from over 200 countries and regions worldwide experienced the rich cultural essence of China. Intangible cultural heritage products such as Guangzhou olive carving, Xinqiao bamboo baskets, cloisonné enamel, and silk velvet embroidery captivated global attention with their unique cultural charm.
Currently, China's fine traditional culture is making its way onto the world stage with a breakthrough momentum. From the global popularity of the Palace Museum's cultural and creative products to the international tour of the dance poetry drama The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting; from the overseas release of the domestic animated film Ne Zha to millions of likes for intangible cultural heritage skills on foreign platforms—behind these phenomena lie the technological advancements and innovative practices in cultural dissemination systems, as well as the collaborative efforts and joint progress of multiple stakeholders in promoting the widespread dissemination of cultural products.
Technological empowerment is creating new forms for disseminating China's fine traditional culture. In recent years, digital technology has been reshaping the pathways of cultural dissemination. The establishment of the Palace Museum's Digital Collection Repository marks a milestone in the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage. It is hailed as a cultural bridge built through cloud technology, having released high-definition images of over 100,000 cultural relics to the public since its launch. The Dunhuang Academy's Digital Dunhuang project further demonstrates the immense potential of technology in reconstructing cultural dissemination. By using AI algorithms to intelligently restore murals, it not only revitalizes millennium-old art but also gives rise to cultural IP phenomena such as Dunhuang Fairy, attracting widespread global attention. Technological empowerment has broken the constraints of time and space, enabling the permanent preservation and youthful expression of China's fine traditional cultural resources and symbols, while also creating new forms of aesthetic experiences aligned with contemporary development.
Innovative expression revitalizes the contemporary vitality of China's fine traditional cultural genes. Creative reinterpretation is the key to bringing cultural symbols to life. Henan TV's The Goddess of the Luo River brought the legend of the Luo River Goddess to life through underwater dance, combining traditional mythology with modern photography techniques. It accurately captured the ethereal elegance of the goddess, conveying the essence of China's fine traditional culture while providing a visual spectacle for the world. Patterns—A Vivid Testament to Cultural Exchange, a silver award-winning work at the 2024 Fourth China-ASEAN Friendly Cooperation Short Video Competition, broke the one-way mode of cultural dissemination. Using clothing patterns as a small yet insightful entry point, it narrated the grand story of shared civilizations between China and ASEAN. Transforming cultural symbols into practices that embody universal human values and revitalizing the vitality of cultural symbols in cross-cultural communication highlight the unique practical value and broad application prospects of innovative expression in cultural exports.
Government leadership serves as a guarantee for expanding the reach of cultural dissemination and enhancing the global influence of Chinese culture. China Global Television Network (CGTN) collaborated with international media to launch the China Hour program, broadcasting Chinese documentaries, TV dramas, and animations daily in the UK. The program now reaches over 10 million paying users and more than 3 million free users across the UK and continental Europe. The Digital Silk Road of Culture project, a large-scale digital cultural exchange platform jointly initiated by dozens of domestic and international institutions with participation from many countries along the routes, enables the world to understand the origins and directions of the Silk Road. Such widely influential cultural projects have effectively leveraged government leadership, laying a solid foundation for China's fine traditional culture to transcend geographical barriers and reach the world.
In the journey of driving cultural exports, various social stakeholders also play important roles. For example, enterprises can actively integrate their unique characteristics, identify focal points for cultural heritage preservation, and strive to become significant drivers in bringing cultural products to the global stage. The popular cultural product Digital Great Wall in recent years uses gaming engines to restore the full panorama of the Great Wall. Overseas users can repair virtual beacon towers online and immerse themselves in the ancient beacon-lighting methods dating back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, as well as the solid, interlocking brickwork of the wall. Tailored initiatives like the Intangible Cultural Heritage Shining Plan help sell intangible cultural heritage skills such as Guangxi's Bo Bai bamboo and rattan weaving to over 60 countries and regions worldwide, empowering Chinese domestic brands to dream big on the global stage. At the same time, whether it is overseas Chinese communities hosting Chinese Folk Culture Festivals to showcase the charm of traditional craftsmanship or international student groups initiating Chinese festival cultural activities online, these are vivid examples of how people are building bridges for cultural dissemination with passion and creativity, spreading the fragrance of Chinese culture worldwide.
Through technological empowerment, innovative expression, and multi-party collaboration, Chinese culture will transition from being watched to being understood, ultimately realizing a new cultural vision of appreciating one's own beauty and the beauty of others, fostering shared beauty. This will showcase the unique charm and enduring appeal of Chinese culture to the world.
Author's Biography: Zhan Shuangjuan is the Deputy Dean of the School of Foreign Languages at South China University of Technology and a researcher at the South China University of Technology Indian Ocean Island Countries Research Center.
Source: Guangming Daily
