According to a report by the Hong Kong English media "South China Morning Post" on the 18th, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently launched a plan to promote its own culture. It plans to hold events in more than 20 countries by the end of this month to showcase the development of Japanese tea ceremonies, comics and animation.
Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" compared the relevant measures of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs with China's efforts to expand its influence through cultural communication, saying that the move aims to "strengthen Japan's diplomatic capabilities by increasing the number of people around the world who understand Japan."
Some analysts said that the continued rise of China's cultural influence has increasingly highlighted the distinctive characteristics of "bottom-up" – no longer relying on government leadership, but relying on private enterprises as the core driving force and relying on the extensive participation of ordinary people to achieve the natural penetration and spread of cultural exchanges.
At present, the popularity of Chinese culture continues to rise in many fields.
In August 2024, the game "Black Myth: Wukong" based on the image of Sun Wukong became popular all over the world as soon as it was released. Sales exceeded 10 million copies in less than 4 days, and sales exceeded 20 million copies in the first month. The animated film "Nezha" series, which is also based on Chinese mythological characters, has also caused a sensation in the global market. The costume fantasy drama "The Legend of the Hidden Sea", which combines shadow puppetry, Kunqu opera and other traditional art forms, also performed well and topped the lists of many overseas streaming platforms.
Breakthroughs in literature are equally impressive. Liu Cixin's science fiction novel "The Three-Body Problem" won multiple international awards and sold millions of copies worldwide, attracting many international fans including former U.S. President Obama and "Game of Thrones" creator George RR Martin. In 2024, this work was adapted into a series by Netflix, further expanding the global influence of Chinese science fiction.
This craze has also extended to the field of toys. The Bubble Matera doll became popular around the world last year, with long queues outside stores and fans rushing to buy it.
The annual "Global Soft Power Index" released by the Brand Financial Consulting Company shows that in 2025, China surpassed the United Kingdom and ranked second in the world after the United States; in 2026, China firmly maintained this ranking and became the only country in the top ten to improve its soft power score. The gap with the United States narrowed to less than 1.5 points, while Japan surpassed the United Kingdom and rose to third in the world.
The report states that the improvement of China’s soft power is due to the coordinated efforts of multiple factors: the enhanced attractiveness of cities, cultural heritage and leisure projects, the promotion of visa facilitation policies, and the deepening of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. The tourism industry plays an increasingly important role in improving soft power. In order to boost the tourism industry, China has continued to expand the scope of visa-free entry countries in recent years, allowing citizens of relevant countries to stay for up to 30 days. According to data from the National Immigration Administration, more than 30 million foreign citizens entered China visa-free last year, a year-on-year increase of nearly 50%.
At the same time, China uses technology to empower cultural communication, vigorously promotes the digital construction of museums, and uses modern technology to bring ancient history to life. The report mentioned that "Cultural phenomena such as Rabbu, which will become popular around the world in 2025, coupled with the high international recognition of Chinese brands such as Huawei and TikTok, as well as the continued growth of electric vehicle exports, will further expand China's influence."
Game character model IC photo in "Black Myth: Wukong"
It is worth noting that the two major trends of "Chinamaxxing" and "Becoming Chinese" have emerged on overseas social media, allowing Chinese culture to further penetrate into the daily lives of overseas people. Young people in the United States are pursuing Chinese health care methods, imitating Chinese people in drinking hot water and seeing traditional Chinese medicine.
Zou Sheng, a professor of cross-media studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, analyzed that the rise of these two trends may be related to the popularity of the Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu in the United States after the United States planned to ban TikTok.
Zou Sheng also said that American YouTube bloggers have played an important role in spreading a positive image of China. For example, teacher Aleese Lightyear’s Chengdu life video was reported by the American Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC) and “triggered discussions among American audiences about the rapidly changing China.”
"But more importantly, China's progress in the fields of culture and science and technology will inevitably be seen by people around the world." Zou Sheng said.
He added that the role of private enterprises in cultural dissemination is becoming increasingly prominent. “When it comes to soft power, people have traditionally focused more on government entities and top-down initiatives, but bottom-up cultural exchanges involving non-governmental entities and even individuals are happening every day, and their influence is constantly increasing.”
Yuan Shaoyu, a soft power research expert at New York University, also said that China has got rid of its reliance on official image management. "Now China has cultural products that attract global attention, from popular games and collectible brands to creator-led lifestyle content, which are all chosen independently by people."
In his view, China has shifted from a top-down image-building model to cultivating cultural industries and narrative communication. Global culture is increasingly influenced by social media and is "more fragmented and no longer controlled by a few Western gatekeepers, creating more space for Chinese cultural products to spread on their own strength."
He further explained, "The rise of Chinese cultural influence stems from the growth of the domestic content ecosystem and the fact that the global environment is more open to non-Western cultural forces than before."
However, Yuan Shaoyu reminded that China still needs to think about how to create a lasting global image. "Trends such as 'Becoming Chinese' or 'Ultimately Sinicised' can make Chinese health habits and daily aesthetics more approachable, but if this intimacy cannot be developed into deeper interactions through travel, education, language learning, long narratives and continuous communication, its impact will remain on the surface."
Zou Sheng gave suggestions from the perspective of industrial development. He said that in order for China to transform into innovative and high-value-added cultural products, it needs to "strengthen copyright protection, encourage original design, strictly control quality, and provide more space for artistic exploration and cultural creation."
Under the wave of globalization, competition between countries has never been limited to the hard power competition of economy and technology, but also contains a deep game of cultural value. Cultural self-confidence is not only the spiritual code for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, but also the core support for China to gain a firm foothold and continue to move forward in the global soft power competition.
