A symposium on China's digital content and its global reach is underway in Beijing on September 27 (COURTESY PHOTO) 

Experts from both domestic and foreign fields said that China's export of its "new cultural trio"--online literature, games, and film and television works--has opened a window for global audiences to learn more about China.

"With the development of the Internet, China's digital content, including films, TV programs, games, music and literature, is being shared across Southeast Asia via social media and e-commerce platforms, becoming an important channel for the overseas spread of Chinese culture," said Koh King Kee, President of the Center for New Inclusive Asia, a Malaysian think tank.

Koh made these remarks during a symposium organized by Asia Pacific Daily newspaper in Beijing on September 27, which focused on China’s digital content and its global reach.

Koh specifically mentioned Tencent Video, a leading Chinese streaming platform, which launched its international version WeTV in Southeast Asia in 2019. Through WeTV, Chinese TV series and variety shows have gained popularity in the region. Currently, WeTV has amassed over 70 million social media followers in Southeast Asia, or more than 10 percent of the region's population.

Additionally, many Chinese online novels have been translated and introduced to Southeast Asia, attracting many readers, Koh said, adding that these stories allow Southeast Asian readers to learn more about China.

Fang Ying, a professor of digital culture at the Communication University of China, said that one of the key features of China's web novels going overseas is global co-creation. Platforms such as reading portal Webnovel have established creative functions for overseas users, so that they, from writers to fans, can also participate in the creation of web novels.

Two hugely popular Chinese online games, Honor of Kings and Black Myth: Wukong, seamlessly weave traditional Chinese culture and history into their storylines, presenting them to a global audience. Regarding this trend, Chen Duan, Director of the Digital Economy Integration Innovation Development Center at the Central University of Finance and Economics, stated that traditional Chinese culture is being digitized and disseminated globally.

Hu Qimu, a researcher specializing in emerging industries at Tsinghua University, added that the "new cultural trio" going overseas constitutes a form of cultural trade. By utilizing digital technology, culture is embedded into cultural products, transforming them into part of the digital economy.

Copyedited by Elsbeth van Paridon 

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