{"id":39324,"date":"2025-04-24T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=39324"},"modified":"2025-04-24T05:11:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T05:11:28","slug":"is-china-the-new-cool-how-beijing-is-using-pop-culture-to-win-the-soft-power-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/is-china-the-new-cool-how-beijing-is-using-pop-culture-to-win-the-soft-power-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Is China the new cool? How Beijing is using pop culture to win the soft power war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Shaoyu Yuan<\/a>, Rutgers University – Newark<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IShowSpeed, a 20-year-old American YouTuber and internet star, recently livestreamed hourslong tours of Chinese cities<\/a> including Beijing and Shanghai, showcasing the locations to some of his nearly 40 million viewers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the March events, IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., marveled at friendly locals, spotless streets and the high-speed Wi-Fi available on the subway; Chinese fans mobbed him for selfies on the Great Wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing\u2019s state media lapped up the attention<\/a>, with one Chinese blogger proclaiming that the American influencer had \u201celiminated all Western propaganda about China\u201d in the eyes of a new generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IShowSpeed\u2019s YouTube page attests to this assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChina is so underrated wtf,\u201d reads one top comment<\/a>. \u201cAfter watching this video, I realized how foolish my previous views on China were,\u201d reads another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The providence of such comments isn\u2019t clear. Nonetheless, to someone who researches the use of Chinese soft power<\/a>, I find the spectacle of a young American burnishing China\u2019s image to Western audiences hugely significant. It provides an example of how soft power norms have been upended in recent years \u2013 and how China appears to be having some success in winning over the global youth<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mixing pop and politics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Soft power refers to a country\u2019s ability to influence others<\/a>, not through coercion but through attraction \u2013 by shaping preferences through culture, values and public diplomacy. Coined by political scientist Joseph Nye<\/a>, the term captures how nations project power by making others want what they have, rather than forcing outcomes through military or economic pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the Cold War and into the 21st century, U.S. soft power didn\u2019t have to try that hard. It came wrapped in denim, was broadcast on MTV<\/a> and blasted from boom boxes. Rock music crossed the Iron Curtain<\/a> when diplomacy couldn\u2019t, with artists like Bruce Springsteen and Madonna reaching Soviet youth more effectively than any ambassador.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in China, Michael Jackson became a pop icon<\/a> well before McDonald\u2019s or Hollywood blockbusters arrived, symbolizing a glamorous, open America that millions dreamed of. To many growing up in China in the 1990s, American culture wasn\u2019t just entertainment \u2013 it was persuasion, aspiration, even subversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beijing\u2019s blockbusters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. is, of course, still a cultural powerhouse; American stars of film and music continue to be recognizable around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are signs that China is chipping away at that dominance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take cinema. Not so long ago, Chinese films were considered niche abroad. Yet in January 2025, an animated Chinese feature film, \u201cNe Zha 2<\/a>,\u201d smashed box-office records<\/a>. The movie, a dazzling retelling of a mythic boy-god, has grossed an astonishing US$2 billion<\/a> worldwide, outperforming many Hollywood releases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s now the highest-grossing animated movie<\/a> of all time, and it wasn\u2019t made by Disney or Pixar but by a Chinese studio employing hundreds of local animators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
An artist paints an image of Ne Zha, a character from the animated blockbuster, on an electricity distribution box in a farm field in southwest China. Zhong Min\/Feature China\/Future Publishing via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Beijing lost no time in co-opting \u201cNe Zha 2\u201d as a symbol of China\u2019s creative rise and cultural \u201csoft power moment.\u201d State media touted the film\u2019s success<\/a> as proof that Chinese folklore and artistry can captivate the globe just as powerfully as Marvel superheroes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNe Zha 2\u201d isn\u2019t a one-off. \u201cDetective Chinatown 1900,\u201d released in January by the Beijing-based Wanda Films, is 2025\u2019s third-biggest grossing movie<\/a> to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hollywood, once confident in its cultural monopoly, suddenly faces a colossal new competitor on the global stage \u2013 one backed by 1.4 billion people and a government eager to topple Western pop-cultural dominance. And the audience isn\u2019t all domestic. \u201cNe Zha 2\u201d also proved successful when it opened in the U.S<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gamers journey to the East<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s not just movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For decades, video games were an American and Japanese stronghold. Yet it is a Chinese-developed game, Black Myth: Wukong<\/a> \u2013 developed by a studio in Hangzhou \u2013 that has become the talk of gamers worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When its gameplay trailers first appeared<\/a> in 2020, they went viral, with Black Myth: Wukong promising AAA-level graphics and action rooted in China\u2019s classic \u201cJourney to the West\u201d tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Skeptics wondered whether the final product could really compete with the likes of established franchise God of War<\/a> or the George R. R. Martin-inspired Elden Ring. But those doubts evaporated when the game finally launched in 2024. Black Myth: Wukong debuted to massive global fanfare in summer 2024, instantly claiming a spot<\/a> alongside the biggest Western franchises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewers around the globe have hailed<\/a> it as China\u2019s first true blockbuster video game and evidence that the country can produce world-class entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Black Myth: Wukong won Best Action Game and Players\u2019 Voice awards at The Game Awards 2024 on Dec. 13, 2024. VCG\/VCG via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d argue that this isn\u2019t just about bragging rights in China\u2019s gaming community; it\u2019s about narrative power for the Chinese state. When millions of young people around the world spend 30 or 40 hours a week immersed in the adventures of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King hero, rather than, say, a Marvel superhero or a Tolkien epic, that subtly shifts the cultural center of gravity eastward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It suggests that Chinese myths are becoming as cool as Western ones to a global audience. And that is soft power<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small screen, big impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, on the smaller screens we carry in our pockets, another Chinese export has embedded itself deeply into global culture: TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of 2025, TikTok boasts over 1.6 billion monthly users<\/a> worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More striking is TikTok\u2019s cultural reach. The app\u2019s algorithm has propelled<\/a> songs from musicians in South Korea or Nigeria to the top of global charts; it has teenagers in Kansas learning Indonesian dance moves, and grandmothers in Italy trying Mexican recipes<\/a> they saw on a viral Chinese app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In effect, TikTok has built a new transnational pop culture commons \u2013 one owned by a Beijing-based company. Yes, the content on TikTok is created by users everywhere, not dictated by the Chinese state, but the platform\u2019s very existence is a triumph of Chinese tech entrepreneurship and global ambition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every minute that Western youths spend scrolling TikTok is a minute they\u2019re within a Chinese-designed cultural sphere. Little wonder the U.S. government has fretted about TikTok\u2019s influence<\/a> \u2013 it\u2019s not just about data security, it\u2019s about cultural security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banning it outright has proven politically difficult<\/a>, and so TikTok remains, steadily entrenching its position as a staple of global youth culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All these strands \u2013 blockbuster films, hit video games, viral apps \u2013 tie into a larger truth: China is rapidly building its soft power as America risks letting its own erode. At a time when the U.S. slashes foreign aid<\/a>, China expands its influence<\/a> through the Belt and Road Initiative and development loans. And while the U.S. curtails visas for students and scientists<\/a>, China\u2019s universities \u2013 some of which now rank<\/a> in the global top 20 \u2013 become more attractive destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can the US maintain a cultural edge?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Assessing the impact of soft power is notoriously hard \u2013 nations that employ it are typically playing a very long game. And Beijing\u2019s soft power push is not guaranteed success everywhere. Many societies remain skeptical<\/a> of Beijing\u2019s intentions, and China\u2019s authoritarian system limits the appeal of its political model in democratic nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet there are clear signs that China\u2019s cultural exports are gaining traction among the younger generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. once set the global cultural tempo almost by default. But today, as China invests heavily in its creative industries and digital platforms, it is increasingly shaping the soundtrack and storylines for a rising global generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question is no longer whether China can compete for soft power influence but whether America has a plan to hold its ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shaoyu Yuan<\/a>, Research Scientist at the Division of Global Affairs, Rutgers University – Newark<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shaoyu Yuan, Rutgers University – Newark IShowSpeed, a 20-year-old American YouTuber and internet star, recently livestreamed hourslong tours of Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, showcasing the locations to some of his nearly 40 million viewers. During the March events, IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., marveled at friendly locals, spotless streets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":39325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[293,5,8025,7,291,10,25,36,38,8,9],"tags":[9536,145,16297,2383,178,4334,885,891,886,860,53,1916,7437,16298,559,10978],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39324"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39324"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39324\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39326,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39324\/revisions\/39326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}