China News Service, Hangzhou, November 5 (Linbo) On November 5, the 20th Hangzhou Cultural and Creative Industry Expo officially opened. At the event, the “three new things” of Chinese culture, including online literature, online games, and online film and television dramas, were still hot topics of discussion. From the early product "volume" to the current emphasis on "ecology" and "IP", Chinese culture is entering a new stage overseas.
During this period, Zeng Fanwen, executive director of the Cultural Industry Research Institute of Renmin University of China, said in an exclusive interview that the shortcomings that need to be filled most at present are the dual support of IP solidification and industrial ecological base; in the face of "cultural discounts", cultural translation should be placed at the front end of business layout.
At present, the popularity of the "three new things" of culture overseas has radiated throughout the country. From the growth of overseas users of online literature, to the rapid growth of micro-short dramas in multiple markets, to game works such as "Black Myth: Wukong" attracting global attention, Chinese cultural products are entering the horizons of overseas audiences in a lighter, faster, and more interactive way.
However, with the popularity, problems such as homogenization, cultural discounts, and insufficient long-term IP accumulation have also emerged. Zeng Fanwen believes that both IP and ecological dimensions are particularly important. As far as IP is concerned, the "three new things" of Chinese culture when going overseas must pay attention to the wealth generated by intellectual property rights, make IP solid and strong, and have international influence. In particular, it must be accepted by foreign locals, especially foreign young people.
He mentioned that it is necessary to create new IP and brand formation, but also to promote the creative transformation and innovative development of existing IP, such as the related practices of "Black Myth: Wukong" based on traditional cultural development. “The path to overseas expansion requires not only ‘IP-based’ cultural and creative products, but also further ‘branding’.”
Ecology is regarded as the base for going to sea. Zeng Fanwen said that domestically, there must be an industrial development ecology driven by leaders, regional collaboration, industry incubation platforms and business environment support; overseas, service platforms must be deployed to target the pain points of companies going global and break through the obstacles in linking domestic and foreign resources. “Just like traditional products have overseas warehouses, the ‘three new things’ of culture also require targeted overseas service layout.”
When going overseas shifts from product competition to ecological competition, which one comes first, business layout and cultural translation?
Zeng Fanwen said that cultural translation may need to be placed at the forefront.
In his view, one of the key words for culture to go global is "translation", but translation is not only the conversion of language and words, but also the making of cultural products as a community of lifestyle and spiritual values to be understood and accepted by overseas audiences. “If the audience can accept it from the spiritual value and concept level, they will naturally consume the products and services.”
Regarding whether the popularization of AI can solve translation problems, Zeng Fanwen believes that AI can play a role in language translation, as well as technical aspects such as character images, clothing, and life scenes, but the most critical thing is still the cultural core and spiritual value. "For a drama, first of all, the content of the script must be accepted by the other party. AI solves technical problems, and content in the field of thinking and spiritual values cannot be replaced."
From the site of cultural fairs to overseas markets, the competition among the “three new types” of culture is no longer just a battle for traffic and speed. Zeng Fanwen bluntly said that the core of ecological overseas expansion is not to simply establish distribution channels, but to cultivate the translation ability to allow audiences with different cultural backgrounds to "go in". Business layout determines how fast it can go, and cultural translation determines how deep it can go. Only when the IP is solid, the ecology is stable, and the translation is accurate, can Chinese culture go overseas from a periodic "hot hit" to a sustainable "long-lasting popularity".
