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Why are the "New Three Types" of Culture Popular Overseas
In recent years, the "new three styles" of Chinese culture, represented by web dramas, online literature, and online games, have emerged as a new force in the global cultural consumption field. Data shows that there have been over 300 overseas applications of Chinese micro dramas, with a cumulative global download volume of over 470 million times, covering more than 200 countries and regions; In 2024, the overseas sales revenue of Chinese independently developed games reached 18.557 billion US dollars, and the top online literature platform "Qidian International" had nearly 300 million overseas visitors. Behind these numbers is a vivid practice of Chinese culture achieving "wall breaking dissemination" in innovative forms.
From the 'old three styles' to the' new three styles': a paradigm shift in cultural globalization
In the past, Chinese traditional culture relied heavily on the "three old ways" of making dumplings, practicing Tai Chi, and teaching Chinese when going abroad, with the audience mainly consisting of cultural enthusiasts. And the 'New Three' breaks down cultural barriers with a more universal 'common language' - entertainment and interactivity. Through localization strategies, the micro drama platform has shifted from simple translation to outputting production standards and concepts, combined with overseas user preferences, to create explosive content with over 10 million daily active users. Online literature and games integrate elements of Chinese mythology and esports culture into a globalized narrative framework through works such as "Full time Master" and "Black Myth: Wukong", while retaining the cultural core and meeting the aesthetic needs of overseas audiences.
Technology driven and market-oriented operation: dual engines of cultural dissemination
Technological innovation and industrial chain integration are the key to the success of the "new three". The Chinese cultural industry is exported in a market-oriented manner, forming a full chain capability from creative planning to production and distribution. The gaming industry, relying on mature research and development technology and a global distribution network, has achieved a leap from "product going global" to "ecological going global"; Online literature platforms have lowered the threshold for cross-cultural communication through innovations such as AI translation and account sharing models. In addition, micro dramas, with their low-cost and high-density plot design, cater to the user habits of the short video era and become a global solution for "fragmented entertainment".
Challenge and Future: From "Traffic" to "Value Accumulation"
Despite the remarkable achievements of the "new three types", they still face problems such as uneven quality and insufficient exploration of cultural connotations. Some works have been criticized as "electronic pickled vegetables", providing only short-term entertainment and lacking deep value transmission. In this regard, the industry needs to strengthen its awareness of high-quality products and enhance its content competitiveness through diversified themes and refined production. For example, "Black Myth: Wukong" successfully pushed Chinese mythological IP to the world with its excellent graphics and narrative, proving the market potential of high-quality content. At the same time, building a full industry chain ecosystem covering creativity, production, and marketing will be the direction for sustained efforts in cultural globalization.
The rise of the "new three types" of culture is not only a reflection of China's international competitiveness in the cultural industry, but also a manifestation of cultural confidence in the new era. They enable overseas audiences to perceive the charm and innovative vitality of Chinese culture through entertainment in a way that is close to the public. In the future, how to find a balance between traffic and value, and transform the "Chinese story" into a "world language", still requires industry and policy collaboration to explore.
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