Three Paths to Enhancing the Communication Power and Influence of Chinese Civilization

The period of the 15th Five-Year Plan is a critical five-year period for China to consolidate the foundation and make comprehensive efforts to basically achieve socialist modernization. As the global political and economic landscape undergoes profound adjustment and the new generation of information technology revolution accelerates, the external communication of Chinese civilization faces both the favorable situation of the decline of Western discursive hegemony and the rise of the Global South, and the severe challenge of how to move from “breaking the situation” to “establishing the situation,” and from scale coverage to deep recognition. The *Outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development of the People’s Republic of China* (hereinafter referred to as the *Outline*) proposes: “Accelerate the construction of a Chinese discourse and Chinese narrative system, enhance the effectiveness of international communication, strengthen foreign cultural exchange and cooperation, and present a credible, lovable, and respectable image of China.” Enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization is a major event in China’s cultural construction during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, to effectively enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization, finding the right path is the key.

“十五五”时期是我国基本实现社会主义现代化夯实基础、全面发力的关键五年。随着全球政治经济格局深度调整、新一代信息技术革命加速演进，中华文明对外传播既面临着西方话语霸权衰落、全球南方崛起的有利时势，也面临着如何从“破局”走向“立局”、从规模覆盖转向深度认同的严峻挑战。《中华人民共和国国民经济和社会发展第十五个五年规划纲要》（以下简称《纲要》）提出：“加快构建中国话语和中国叙事体系，提升国际传播效能，加强对外文化交流合作，展现可信、可爱、可敬的中国形象。”提升中华文明传播力影响力，是“十五五”时期我国文化建设的一件大事。“十五五”时期，要切实提升中华文明传播力影响力，找准路径是关键。

The first key path is to use solid regional and country-specific knowledge as a foundation to solve the problem of “cognitive discount” in cross-cultural communication. The core difficulty of external communication lies in cultural discount. In layman’s terms, this means that when a cultural product flows across national borders, its value is diminished because of the specific cultural context in which it is rooted. To reduce this discount, it is necessary to deeply understand the history, culture, social psychology, media habits, and real concerns of the target country. For a long time, China’s external communication has, to a certain extent, suffered from a crude, “one-size-fits-all” approach, leading to a mismatch between the content of communication and the expectations of the audience. The *Outline* emphasizes “strengthening regional and country-specific studies,” marking a new stage in which international communication work moves toward refinement and specialization. Only by deeply cultivating regional and country-specific studies can we achieve a strategic transformation from “crude, wide-net casting” to “precise, deep cultivation.” Specifically, to enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, efforts should focus on promoting transformation at three levels: knowledge production, strategy formulation, and effect evaluation.

第一条关键路径，即以扎实的区域国别知识为基石，破解跨文化传播中的“认知折扣”问题。对外传播的核心难点在于文化折扣。通俗来说，即一种文化产品在跨国流动时，因其植根的文化语境特殊而导致价值减损。要降低这种折扣，就必须深入了解对象国的历史文化、社会心理、媒介习惯和现实关切。长期以来，我国对外传播在一定程度上存在“四海如一”的粗放式问题，导致传播内容与受众期待之间存在错位。《纲要》强调“加强区域国别研究”，标志着国际传播工作迈向精细化、专业化的新阶段。深耕区域国别研究，才能实现从“粗放广撒网”到“精准深耕作”的战略转型。具体而言，就“十五五”期间提升中华文明传播力影响力而言，应着力推动知识生产、策略制定和效果评估三个层面的转变。

Specifically, at the level of knowledge production, it is necessary to move beyond news-report-style information collection, turn to in-depth academic research, and establish a system of country-specific communication think tanks covering major countries and regions, especially countries in the Global South, to deeply decode the modes of thinking and value systems of different civilizations. At the level of strategy formulation, it is necessary to advance a “one country, one policy” or even “one region, one policy” approach based on the results of country-specific research. According to the development stage and interests of different countries, China’s experiences and proposals should be creatively transformed within the local context of the other party. At the level of effect evaluation, it is necessary to establish a regional communication effectiveness monitoring network, shifting from quantitative targets of pursuing the number of articles published and coverage, to effectiveness targets of pursuing recognition, reputation, and identification.

具体来说，在知识生产层面，要超越新闻报道式的信息收集，转向深度的学理研究，并建立覆盖主要国家和地区特别是全球南方国家的国别传播智库体系，深度解码不同文明的思维方式和价值体系。在策略制定层面，则需基于国别研究成果推进“一国一策”甚至“一域一策”。根据不同国家的发展阶段和利益诉求，将中国的经验与方案置于对方的本土语境中进行创造性转化。在效果评估层面，要建立以区域为单位的传播效能监测网络，从追求发稿量和覆盖面的量化目标，转向追求认知度、美誉度和认同度的效能目标。

In short, to make “story listeners” accept Chinese stories, one must tell Chinese stories in a way that “story listeners” can easily accept. Recently, some Western journalists who have been biased against China have begun to “give a thumbs-up” to China’s new energy achievements. Behind this shift is precisely our telling of the story of new energy development. Just a few press releases about technology and enterprises have generated considerable resonance in the West. This “four ounces moving a thousand pounds” [1]1 “Four ounces moving a thousand pounds” is a Chinese idiom originating from Taijiquan theory, referring to using minimal force to achieve a large effect, often used to describe a clever or efficient strategy. approach is precisely a way to break the “cognitive discount.”

简而言之，要让“听故事者”接受中国故事，则要用“听故事者”易于接受的方式讲好中国故事。最近，部分对中国有偏见的西方记者，开始为中国的新能源成就“点赞”，这一转变背后，正是我们讲述新能源发展的故事。只是几篇关于技术和企业的新闻稿，就在西方产生了较大的反响。这一“四两拨千斤”的方式，正是对“认知折扣”的打破。

The second key path is to promote the two-way integration of culture and technology, and build an all-media communication system adapted to the era of intelligent communication. Understanding this path lies in understanding that technology is no longer just an auxiliary tool for communication, but a core variable that reshapes the logic of communication. That is, by strengthening the empowerment of digital intelligence technology, we use “technological hard power” to catalyze a generational leap in “cultural soft power.” The *Outline* proposes to “promote the digital intelligence empowerment and information transformation of cultural construction.” Currently, a new round of technological revolution represented by generative artificial intelligence is profoundly reshaping the media ecosystem. The shift from “people seeking information” to “information seeking people,” and the maturation of immersive experience technologies such as virtual reality, provide a historic opportunity for international communication to overtake competitors on a bend.

第二条关键路径，是推动文化与科技的双向融合，构建适应智能传播时代的全媒体传播体系。理解这条路径，在于理解技术不再是传播的辅助工具，而是重塑传播逻辑的核心变量，即通过强化数智技术赋能，以“技术硬实力”催化“文化软实力”的代际跃升。《纲要》提出，要“推动文化建设数智化赋能、信息化转型”。当前，以生成式人工智能为代表的新一轮科技革命正在深刻重塑媒介生态。从“人找信息”到“信息找人”的转变，以及虚拟现实等沉浸式体验技术的成熟，为国际传播提供了弯道超车的历史机遇。

To enhance the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, efforts should focus on the following two major innovation directions. The first is the deep integration of artificial intelligence in the content production end. Use artificial intelligence to drive cross-language content generation, global public opinion analysis, and personalized distribution, telling Chinese stories with unprecedented efficiency and precision. The rise of domestic large models such as DeepSeek has already proven that technological hard power can become a solid foundation for cultural communication. The second is the immersive innovation in the communication form end. Relying on technologies such as virtual reality and digital twins, build interactive cultural experience spaces such as digital museums, so that overseas audiences can “see it, easily understand it, and be willing to share it.” For young circles such as Generation Z, be adept at using emerging carriers such as micro-dramas, games, and animation.

“十五五”时期提升中华文明传播力影响力，应聚焦以下两大创新方向。一是内容生产端的人工智能深度融合。利用人工智能驱动跨语言内容生成、全球舆情分析和个性化分发，以前所未有的效率和精度讲好中国故事。DeepSeek等国产大模型的崛起已经证明，科技硬实力可以成为文化传播的坚实底座。二是传播形态端的沉浸式革新。依托虚拟现实、数字孪生等技术，建设数字博物馆等可交互的文化体验空间，让海外受众“看得到、容易懂、愿意传”。针对Z世代等年轻圈层，要善于运用微短剧、游戏、动漫等新兴载体。

The *Outline* clearly proposes to “promote the overseas distribution of high-quality online literature, online games, film and television animation, and boutique exhibitions.” Relevant public data shows that the core leading role of online games is prominent. In 2025, the overseas revenue of self-developed products reached 20.455 billion US dollars, a volume far exceeding the 2.38 billion US dollars of micro-dramas in the same period and the 4.815 billion RMB of online literature in 2024. Moreover, as of the beginning of 2026, Chinese online games have entered more than 100 countries and regions. Works represented by *Genshin Impact* and *Where Winds Meet* have accumulated a stable player base globally. With the development of related technologies such as artificial intelligence, online games will assume an important role in better telling Chinese stories.

《纲要》明确提出，要“推动优质网络文学、网络游戏、影视动漫、精品展览等出海”。相关公开数据显示，网络游戏的核心引领作用突出。2025年，自研产品海外收入达204.55亿美元，体量远超同期微短剧的23.8亿美元及2024年网文的48.15亿元人民币。而且，截至2026年年初，中国网游已进入100多个国家和地区。以《原神》《燕云十六声》为代表的作品在全球范围内积累起稳定的玩家群体。随着人工智能等相关技术的发展，网络游戏将承担起更好地讲好中国故事的重要作用。

The third key path is to cultivate a multi-subject narrative ecosystem including the government, media, enterprises, think tanks, artists, and ordinary citizens, so that the telling of Chinese stories is continuous and vibrant. This kind of ecological communication has stronger resilience, penetration, and affinity. In the global communication field, where information is highly dispersed and subjects are increasingly diverse, relying solely on the “solo performance” of mainstream media is no longer sufficient to cover the entire domain. The *Outline* emphasizes “improving the international communication system and mechanism” and “building a multi-channel, three-dimensional external communication pattern.” The deep logic behind this lies in activating the communication potential of the entire society. Building this ecosystem requires efforts from three dimensions: enterprises, localities, and “external brains.”

第三条关键路径，是培育包括政府、媒体、企业、智库、艺术家及普通民众等在内的多元主体叙事生态，让中国故事的讲述生生不息。这种生态化传播具有更强的韧性、渗透力和亲和力。在信息高度弥散、主体日益多元的全球传播场域中，仅靠主流媒体的“独唱”已难以覆盖全域。《纲要》强调要“完善国际传播体制机制”“构建多渠道、立体式对外传播格局”，其深层逻辑在于激活全社会的传播潜能。构建这一生态需从企业、地方和“外脑”三个维度发力。

Leverage the unique role of enterprises as communication carriers. Enterprises are the main subjects of the market and pioneers in cross-cultural interaction. Through localized operations, social responsibility practices, and public welfare projects, enterprises can transform infrastructure projects into symbols of “people-to-people connectivity.” More cultural enterprises and excellent cultural products should be encouraged to go global, implement brand strategies, and allow the values and concepts disseminated through products to gain recognition subtly during the consumption process.

发挥企业作为传播载体的独特作用。企业是市场的主体，也是跨文化交往的先行先试者。通过本土化运营、社会责任实践和公益项目，企业能够将基础设施项目转化为“民心相通”的象征。应鼓励更多文化企业和优秀文化产品走向世界，实施品牌战略，让依托产品传播的价值理念在消费过程中潜移默化地获得认同。

Take the activation of local and civil forces as the guide. Traditional views hold that the historical and cultural resources and geographical advantages of various regions are rich mines for telling Chinese stories, and creating distinctive international city brands for localities is an effective path to enhance cultural soft power. In the digital intelligence era, more attention should be paid to the “localities” and “civil forces” in the virtual world, especially overseas communities on self-media platforms. Civil forces should be supported in their interactions with overseas people in virtual spaces.

以激活地方和民间力量为先导。传统观点认为，各地的历史文化资源和区位优势是讲好中国故事的富矿，通过地方打造特色城市国际名片是提升文化软实力的有效路径。而在数智时代，要更加注重虚拟世界中的“地方”与“民间力量”，尤其是自媒体平台上的海外社群，要支持民间力量与海外民众在虚拟空间中的交往。

Making good use of “external brains” and network resources is key. Whether it is the first-person perspective experience of overseas internet celebrities like “IShowSpeed” [2]2 “IShowSpeed” is the online alias of an American live streamer and internet celebrity whose 2025 trip to China generated widespread online attention and discussion. traveling in China, or inviting international politicians and well-known scholars to “speak through borrowed mouths,” both can build a more credible cross-cultural trust chain. When more and more foreign institutions and creators actively participate in creating content with Chinese themes, China’s narrative becomes embedded in the global cultural production chain, gaining the vitality of autonomous growth.

善用“外脑”和网络资源是关键。无论是“甲亢哥”等海外网红中国行的第一视角体验，还是邀请国际政要、知名学者“借嘴”发声，都能构建更为可信的跨文化信任链条。当越来越多的外国机构和创作者主动参与中国主题创作时，中国的叙事便嵌入了全球文化生产的链条，获得了自主生长的生命力。

Among the three paths to enhancing the communication power and influence of Chinese civilization, precise communication based on regional and country-specific studies is the prerequisite for solving the problem of “to whom to speak”; innovative communication driven by digital intelligence technology is the key to solving the problem of “how to speak”; and ecological communication characterized by multiple subjects is the guarantee for solving the problem of “who speaks.” Only by constructing these three paths that are mutually supportive, organically unified, and internally related can we jointly aim to build a more effective international communication system, allowing Chinese civilization to radiate new brilliance through exchange and mutual learning with other civilizations, thereby injecting profound and lasting cultural strength into promoting the building of a community with a shared future for mankind.

在提升中华文明传播力影响力的三条路径中，以区域国别研究为基础的精准传播，是解决“对谁讲”的前提；以数智技术为引擎的创新传播，则是解决“怎么讲”的关键；而以多元主体为特征的生态传播，正是解决“谁来讲”的保障。唯有构建这三条相互支撑、有机统一且内在关联的路径，才能共同指向构建更有效力的国际传播体系，让中华文明在同其他文明的交流互鉴中焕发新的光彩，从而为推动构建人类命运共同体注入深厚持久的文化力量。

(The author is an associate professor at the National Institute of Cultural Development, Wuhan University)

（作者系武汉大学国家文化发展研究院副教授）