The Rationale and Path of Telling China’s Story Well in the Era of “All Things Are Media”

The report of the 20th National Congress of the CPC pointed out that we should accelerate the construction of a Chinese discourse and narrative system, tell China’s story well, spread China’s voice well, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China. At present, a new round of global technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, profoundly affecting the production and lifestyle of humanity. With the deep digitalization, networking, and intelligent development of the entire society, humanity has entered the era of “all things are media.” The subjectivity, mediality, and narrative capacity of “things” in people’s daily lives are increasingly prominent. Strengthening the narration of things, using things as media, and employing things to convey principles, so as to tell China’s story more scientifically, are issues that urgently need clarification in the narrative system, civilizational exchange, and cultural dissemination of the “all things are media” era.

党的二十大报告指出，加快构建中国话语和中国叙事体系，讲好中国故事、传播好中国声音，展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。当前，世界新一轮科技革命和产业变革正加速演进，深刻影响着人类生产生活方式。随着整个社会深度数字化、网络化、智能化发展，人类迈入“万物皆媒”时代。人们生活中的“物”的主体性、媒介性和叙事能力不断凸显，强化物叙事、以物为媒、用物讲理，更科学讲好中国故事，是“万物皆媒”时代叙事体系和文明交流、文化传播亟需阐明的问题。

Focusing on the Chinese Path and Chinese Concepts

聚焦中国道路和中国理念

To tell China’s story well and spread China’s voice well, we must tell the rationale of the Chinese path well. Spreading China’s voice well and presenting a true, multi-dimensional, and comprehensive China means clearly explaining whom China relies on for development, for whom it develops, and how it develops. “Everyone’s affairs are discussed and handled by everyone together,” and “If China is good, the world will be even better.” Co-consultation, co-construction, and shared benefits: tell the story of the Belt and Road Initiative well. Peaceful development, cooperation, and win-win outcomes: tell the concept of promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind well. Telling China’s story well means enabling the international community to deepen their understanding of the Chinese path through the stories, thereby making the rationale known, understood, and accepted, and contributing scientific concepts and a beautiful vision to the development of human civilization.

讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音，要讲好中国道路之理。传播好中国声音，展示真实、立体、全面的中国，就是要讲清楚中国依靠谁发展、为谁发展、怎样发展。“大家的事情大家商量着办”，“中国好，世界会更好”。共商共建共享，讲好“一带一路”的故事；和平发展合作共赢，讲好推动构建人类命运共同体的理念。讲好中国故事就是让国际社会在故事中加深对中国道路的认识，从而让理为人所知、理被人理解、理被人接受，更为人类文明发展贡献科学理念和美好图景。

To tell China’s story well and spread China’s voice well, we must tell the rationale of fine traditional Chinese culture well. Chinese civilization possesses outstanding characteristics such as continuity, innovation, unity, inclusiveness, and peacefulness. Since ancient times, the Chinese nation has engaged in exchanges and cultural interactions with foreign peoples with the broad-mindedness of “a world of great harmony” and “harmony among all nations,” confidently and generously. Fine traditional Chinese culture emphasizes “appreciating the beauty of one’s own culture while respecting that of others, and achieving harmony in diversity.” Telling the rationale of fine traditional Chinese culture well means clearly explaining the wisdom of harmony and coexistence contained within it, guiding people to join hands in solving humanity’s common problems, and promoting the continuous development of human civilization.

讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音，要讲好中华优秀传统文化之理。中华文明具有连续性、创新性、统一性、包容性、和平性等突出特性。自古以来，中华民族就以“天下大同”、“协和万邦”的宽广胸怀，自信而又大度地开展同域外民族交往和文化交流。中华优秀传统文化强调“各美其美、美美与共”。讲好中华优秀传统文化之理，就是要讲清楚蕴含其中的和合共生的智慧，引导人们携手解决人类的共同问题，推动人类文明赓续发展。

To tell China’s story well and spread China’s voice well, we must tell the rationale of Chinese-path modernization well. Realizing modernization is not only the dream of the Chinese people but also the dream of the people of the world. Every country and every nation has its own dream of modernization, and every country has the right to pursue development. Chinese-path modernization is a modernization that follows the path of peaceful development. Chinese-path modernization creates a new form of human civilization and provides a reference for other developing countries to achieve modernization. Telling the rationale of Chinese-path modernization well can not only disseminate a large number of vivid and lively Chinese stories through the narrative system of things but also provide solid theoretical support for world peace and development.

讲好中国故事，传播好中国声音，要讲好中国式现代化之理。实现现代化不仅是中国人民的梦想，也是世界人民的梦想。每个国家、每个民族都有自己的现代化之梦，每个国家都有追求发展的权利。中国式现代化是走和平发展道路的现代化。中国式现代化创造人类文明新形态，为其它发展中国家实现现代化提供了借鉴。讲好中国式现代化之理，不仅能通过物叙事体系传播大量鲜活生动的中国故事，更能为世界和平发展带来坚实的理论支撑。

Making Good Use of Things That Carry Chinese Culture

用好中国文化承载之物

To tell China’s story well, we must make good use of things that embody Chinese civilization. In the course of more than five thousand years of development, the Chinese people have created a splendid Chinese civilization and made significant contributions to the progress of human civilization. The “things” that embody Chinese culture and civilization include both tangible cultural heritage such as ancient sites, ancient buildings, oracle bones, bronzes, murals, and documents, and intangible cultural heritage such as folk literature, traditional music and fine arts, traditional Chinese medicine, and folk customs. Whether cultural relics and historic sites or intangible cultural heritage, they are abstract things in the “narrative of things.” We must use things to carry stories, make good use of the things of Chinese civilization, make good use of the achievements of the Chinese Civilization Origins Tracing Project, tell the story of Chinese civilization well, spread the spiritual characteristics of the Chinese nation, and reflect the profound cultural heritage of China’s story.

讲好中国故事要用好体现中华文明的物。在五千多年的发展史中，中国人民创造了璀璨夺目的中华文明，为人类文明进步事业作出了重大贡献。体现中国文化和中华文明的“物”，既包括古遗址、古建筑、甲骨、青铜、壁画、文献等物质文化遗产，又包括民间文学、传统音乐美术、中医、民俗等非物质文化遗产。无论是文物古迹还是非遗，都是“物叙事”中的抽象物，要以物载事，用好中华文明之物、用好中华文明探源工程成果，讲好中华文明故事，传播中华民族的精神特质，体现中国故事深厚的文化底蕴。

To tell China’s story well, we must make good use of things that embody the struggle spirit of the Communist Party of China. Over the past hundred-plus years, the Communist Party of China has led the Chinese people in arduous revolutionary and construction work, leaving behind a large number of revolutionary cultural relics. Remains of major events, sites of important meetings, former sites of important institutions, former residences of important figures, revolutionary cultural relics, documents, archives, and historical materials all have things to see and stories to tell, embodying the struggle spirit of the Communist Party of China. Using things to narrate, leveraging the objectivity, intuitiveness, and acceptability of things, tell the story of the Communist Party of China well, tell the story of the Communist Party of China’s governance well, and tell the story of China’s promotion of building a community with a shared future for mankind well.

讲好中国故事要用好体现中国共产党奋斗精神的物。百余年来，中国共产党领导中国人民开展了艰苦卓绝的革命和建设工作，留下大批革命文物。重大事件遗迹、重要会议遗址、重要机构旧址、重要人物旧居，革命文物、文献、档案、史料等都有物可看、有故事可说，体现了中国共产党的奋斗精神。以物叙事，利用物之客观性、直观性、可接受性，讲好中国共产党的故事，讲好中国共产党治国理政的故事，讲好中国推动构建人类命运共同体的故事。

To tell China’s story well, we must make good use of things that embody the spiritual outlook of the Chinese people. Things that reflect the material and cultural living conditions of the Chinese people, such as movies and TV dramas that embody popular culture, things from daily life culture like electronic products and tourism that reflect people’s lives, and media platforms and e-commerce platforms for the application of Chinese network technology, have been widely accepted by the public. Moreover, things like QR code payments, shared bicycles, online shopping, and things that reflect the concept of harmony between humanity and nature in the construction of Chinese-path modernization are things that showcase China’s achievements and embody the Chinese spirit. New “things” such as high-speed rail and online games that showcase China’s achievements and spirit have become new expressions for telling China’s story well in the New Era.

讲好中国故事要用好体现中国人民精神面貌的物。展现中国人物质文化生活状态的电影、电视剧等体现流行文化的物，反映人生活的电子产品、旅游等日常生活文化之物，中国网络技术应用的媒介平台、电商平台等物，已被民众广泛接受，而扫码支付、共享单车、网购以及体现中国式现代化建设理念的人与自然和谐关系之物，更是展现中国成就、体现中国精神的物。高铁、网游等展现中国成就、中国精神的新“物”，成为了新时代讲好中国故事的新表达。

Skillfully Using Narrative Scenes for China’s Story

善用中国故事叙事场景

Telling stories on media platforms. In the new media era, all things are media, and the vast majority of the public participate as active subjects, with thing-subjects and human subjects able to act together. Telling stories well, making good use of diverse media platforms, and allowing things to deeply participate is itself a way for things to become the subject of storytelling. Large models have gradually revealed the attributes of media platforms, and the possibility of things as narrative subjects has been further expanded. Things on platforms, platforms carrying things. Let media platforms familiar and widely accepted by both Chinese and foreign audiences become the aggregated “things” for telling China’s story well and spreading China’s voice.

在媒介平台上讲。新媒体时代，万物皆媒，绝大多数公众作为行动主体参与其中，物主体与人类主体可以共同行动。讲好故事，利用好多元化媒介平台，让物深度参与其中，本身就是物成为故事讲述主体的一种方式。大模型已经逐步展露出媒介平台属性，物作为叙事主体的可能性得到进一步拓展。物在平台，平台载物。让中外大众都熟悉和广为接受的媒平台成为讲好中国故事、传播中国声音的聚合“物”。

Telling stories in daily life. Things usually appear in the form of commodities and also in the form of social interactions. In the process of commodity consumption, commodities as symbols carry a large number of values and cultural temperaments, making people feel trust and reliability. In daily interactions, as objects of gaze, the co-presence and integration of people and things, the usability and reliability of things, are behind a kind of respect and trust for culture. Let “things” as media become the “use” in people’s daily lives, subtly telling China’s story well in daily use without conscious awareness.

在日常生活中讲。物通常是以商品的形式呈现，也以社会交往形式呈现。在商品消费环节，作为符号的商品携带着大量价值观念、文化气质，让人们感受到信任与可靠。在日常交往之中，作为被凝视的对象，人与物的共在共融，物的可用性与可靠性背后就是一种对文化的尊重和信任。让作为媒介的“物”，成为世人日常生活的“用”，在日用而不觉中潜移默化讲好中国故事。

Telling stories through the experience of guests. Economic globalization and global informatization have made international mobility more convenient. Inbound tourism has become an important scene for foreigners to perceive China. It allows a series of things such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation to be displayed, and the culture, customs, thoughts, concepts, and the achievements of the Communist Party of China’s governance experienced through things naturally emerge. The active participation of overseas tourists greatly enhances the subjectivity, agency, and narratability of things, and the immersive experience of tourists makes the meaning and value carried by things easier to display. Using things as media will inevitably play a greater role in telling China’s story well.

在客的体验中讲。经济全球化、全球信息化让国际流动更便捷。入境游成为了外国人感知中国的重要场景，它让衣食住行等一系列物展现其中，由物而体验到的文化、习俗、思维、观念以及中国共产党治国理政的成就便自然呈现。海外游客的主动参与，让物的主体性、能动性和可述性大大提升，游客沉浸式体验使物所承载的意义和价值更易于展现出来。物为媒，必将在讲好中国故事中发挥更大的作用。

Connecting the platforms of thing-narration, opening up the paths of civilizational exchange. Telling China’s story well and spreading China’s voice aims to promote global mutual learning among civilizations and global cultural exchange. In the era of “all things are media,” promoting the establishment of thing-platforms and thing-narration platforms is conducive to opening up paths for mutual exchange among civilizations and establishing a global communication context of mutual understanding, integration, and commonality.

联通物叙事的平台，打通文明交往的路径。讲好中国故事，传播中国声音，为的是推动全球文明互鉴，推动全球文化交流。“万物皆媒”时代，推动物平台、物叙事平台的建立，有利于打通文明相互交往的路径，建立相互理解、共融共通的全球交往语境。

Online Editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧