The "New Three" Zhejiang Cultural Exports: Exploring a New Model for Provincial International Communication

At the National Conference on Publicity, Thought, and Cultural Work in 2023, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "it is necessary to promote the development of international communication capabilities, tell Chinese stories well, and spread the Chinese voice well." This has pointed out the fundamental direction for the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture. Guided by this strategy, the "new three cultural items" centered around online literature, online dramas, and online games have become a new and powerful force in the international dissemination of Chinese culture, empowered by digital technology. As a major cultural province and a strong digital economy province, Zhejiang has taken the lead in exploring the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items." This is not only an active implementation of the national strategy but also a practical responsibility in constructing a new model of provincial international communication. The Seventh Plenary Session of the 15th Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee held in July this year clearly deployed the task of "promoting the overseas dissemination of the 'new three cultural items,'" which has charted a course for the overseas dissemination of Zhejiang's culture. With their digital and lightweight characteristics, the "new three cultural items" have broken through the time - space constraints of traditional communication, conforming to the cultural consumption habits of global audiences, especially the young generation, and opening up a new track for the international dissemination of Chinese culture. For Zhejiang, its overseas dissemination practice is not only an important means to enhance cultural soft power and build an "important window" but also can provide provincial - level practical experience for the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture across the country.

I. The Value and Significance of Zhejiang's Promotion of the Overseas Dissemination of the "New Three Cultural Items"

01. Serving the National Cultural Strategy: Strengthening New Carriers for the International Dissemination of Chinese Culture

In the digital age, to promote the development of international communication capabilities and tell Chinese stories well, the key lies in breaking through the limitations of traditional communication and achieving the precise and continuous transmission of cultural influence. Zhejiang's overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items" is a vivid practice in this direction and a strong support for the national cultural strategy. In terms of communication forms, the "new three cultural items" effectively make up for the shortcomings of traditional culture going global. The overseas dissemination of traditional culture mostly relies on offline forms such as cultural relic exhibitions and opera performances, which are greatly restricted by time and space and have a narrow audience coverage. However, the "new three cultural items" use digital as a carrier and can reach the global audience instantly via the Internet, solving the problem of "being able to speak out." In terms of communication effects, the "new three cultural items" take daily - life content as the entry point, integrating cultural connotations into scenarios and emotions familiar to the audience, so that cultural dissemination can penetrate naturally, achieving a subtle effect. Different from the grand - narrative cultural publicity, through serialized online literature, daily - life scenarios in online dramas, and immersive experiences in online games, the "new three cultural items" integrate Chinese cultural values such as "harmony without uniformity" and "pragmatism and innovation" into specific content, enabling overseas audiences to naturally perceive the connotations during the experience and solving the problem of "being able to listen in." More importantly, the "new three cultural items" inject youthful vitality into the international dissemination of Chinese culture. With their digital forms suitable for the interests of Generation Z, they quickly break through the cultural cognitive barriers and establish emotional connections. This connection not only enables the effective reach of Chinese culture among the young generation but also further enhances cultural influence through their active sharing and secondary creation, laying a solid foundation for the long - term and sustainable international recognition of Chinese culture and solving the problem of "being able to spread."

02. Empowering High - quality Provincial Development: Building a New Engine for the Collaborative Upgrade of Culture and Economy

The overseas dissemination of Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" empowers high - quality provincial development through the collaborative efforts of culture and economy, forming a virtuous cycle in which cultural output drives industrial upgrading and industrial upgrading feeds back into cultural innovation, providing support for the construction of a common prosperity demonstration area. Economically, the "new three cultural items" promote the formation of new productive forces in the digital culture industry. The in - depth coupling of digital technology and content creation in Zhejiang has given birth to high - value - added products and driven the development of the entire industrial chain from upstream IP development, mid - stream technical services to downstream cross - border operations, forming an industrial cluster with "Hangzhou leading and all regions collaborating," and cultivating new growth points for the provincial economy. Culturally, the "new three cultural items" reshape Zhejiang's international image. They transform the culture of the Song Dynasty and the Zhejiang spirit into globally perceptible symbols, promoting the international perception of Zhejiang to shift from an economic powerhouse to a culturally rich province. Cultural recognition further feeds back into economic cooperation, creating a favorable environment for cross - border trade and investment. In addition, the "new three cultural items" also broaden the path to common prosperity: they cultivate young cultural practitioners and increase income channels for urban and rural residents; they transform local cultural resources such as intangible cultural heritage and folk customs into economic value, helping to narrow the development gap between urban and rural areas and regions.

03. Innovating the Paradigm of Cross - cultural Communication: Remodeling the New Logic of Cultural Dialogue in the Digital Age

Traditional cross - cultural communication often falls into dilemmas such as symbol stacking and context misplacement, resulting in ineffective communication. Relying on digital characteristics, Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" build new connections of adaptation, interaction, and resonance, breaking through the cognitive barriers in cultural communication. First, there is a transformation from one - way output to two - way interaction. Through digital design, the audience is enabled to participate in the communication: either through interactive mechanisms for the audience to actively explore culture, or by adjusting the narrative based on feedback, or by inspiring active dissemination. This turns cultural dissemination from a one - time output into a continuous dialogue, enhancing the audience's sense of participation. Second, there is a leap from symbol presentation to value resonance. Instead of being limited to displaying cultural symbols, the concepts behind the symbols are combined with the common concerns of global audiences. Using daily - life narratives to lower the cognitive threshold, it triggers cross - cultural emotional resonance and avoids the shallow display of cultural symbols. Finally, it achieves adaptation to diverse cultural contexts. In specific communication practices, strategies are actively adjusted for different markets: straightforward expressions are used for low - context markets, and implicit cultural elements are retained for markets with similar cultures, breaking the limitation of a single model for global dissemination and ensuring effective communication in different cultures.

04. Leading Provincial Practice: Creating a Replicable New Path for the Overseas Dissemination of Local Culture

The overseas dissemination of Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" is not an isolated exploration but a provincial model that coordinates policies, technology, content, and channels, solving the problem of how local culture can go global and providing a demonstration sample for other provinces across the country. Its practical logic focuses on global dissemination through localized innovation: based on the advantages of the local digital economy and cultural roots, on the policy side, the "provincial overall planning + city - county linkage" forms a joint support force; on the technology side, relying on the advantages of local digital technology to solve communication problems; on the content side, mining the global value of local culture; on the channel side, constructing an independent platform + global node network to reduce dependence on third - party platforms. This model not only retains the distinctiveness of local culture but also has global adaptability, avoiding the dilemmas of blindly imitating the West or being unable to go global by sticking too closely to local traditions in the overseas dissemination of local culture. For other provinces, the reference significance mainly lies in three points: first, based on local advantages, explore differentiated paths by combining their own cultural characteristics and industrial advantages; second, take digital empowerment as the key and use technological innovation to improve the efficiency and accuracy of dissemination; third, take a coordinated ecosystem as the guarantee and build a coordinated system of policies, enterprises, and talents to form a joint force. This demonstration value has enabled Zhejiang's practice to go beyond the local scope and become a reference sample for provincial - level international cultural communication, promoting the transformation of the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture from a model centered on national leadership to a diversified pattern led by the nation and supported by provincial - level coordination.

II. Innovative Exploration and the Initial Model of Zhejiang's Overseas Dissemination of the "New Three Cultural Items"

01. Provincial Top - level Design: The "Collaborative Overseas Dissemination" Mechanism Guided by Policies

Zhejiang started early in the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items" and has built a comprehensive policy support system. In 2021, it issued the first provincial - level digital trade document in the country, "Several Opinions on Vigorously Developing Digital Trade," which focused on promoting the export of new cultural services such as digital film and television, animation, and games, opening up a pioneer path for the overseas dissemination of culture. In the "Work Plan for Accelerating the Comprehensive Pilot Program of Expanding the Opening - up of the Service Industry" approved by the State Council this year, Zhejiang became one of the pilot areas, presenting new opportunities. The content such as "developing the game overseas dissemination business, expanding application scenarios, and laying out the industrial chain from IP creation to game production, distribution, and overseas operation" provides policy guidance for the international development of Zhejiang's game industry. Seizing the opportunity, Zhejiang has actively planned to create a better environment for the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items." In the field of online literature, in 2019, the Zhejiang Writers Association launched the "Xinyu Plan" to focus on cultivating young online writers under the age of 35, and the "Xinhe Plan" has already cultivated more than 500 literary newcomers, building a talent echelon for the "new Zhejiang literary army." In the field of online dramas, the Hengdian Film and Television Cultural Industry Agglomeration Area has built hardware facilities such as the world's largest single - body photography studio and implemented the positioning of "the government most understanding of the film and television industry" with full - chain services; Linping has improved the "five - in - one" full industrial chain with a 100 - million - yuan micro - drama fund, explored the integrated track of "micro - dramas + cultural tourism/intangible cultural heritage," and many works have been included in the recommended list of the National Radio and Television Administration, forming a regional characteristic industrial ecosystem. In the field of online games, in June this year, 17 departments including the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Commerce jointly issued the "Several Measures to Support Game Overseas Dissemination," proposing 20 measures in four aspects: building an industrial cluster with "Hangzhou leading and all regions collaborating," cultivating cultural export bases, and promoting the industrial development towards agglomeration and international coordination.

02. Content Innovation Practice: From Local Cultural Roots to Global Narratives

The overseas dissemination practice of Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" has always been rooted in local culture. Through creative transformation, it has achieved the integration of tradition and modernity and the dialogue between the local and the global, forming a closed - loop logic of "content mining - form innovation - international dissemination." This creative path with cultural roots as the core essentially transforms regional characteristics into expressions of human common emotions, which not only strengthens the unique recognition of the content but also provides a fulcrum for emotional resonance in cross - cultural communication. In the field of online literature, the China Online Writers Village in Binjiang District, Hangzhou, has played an agglomeration effect. Well - known writers such as Jiang Shengnan and Guan Pingchao have settled in, creating a large number of works containing Zhejiang's regional culture and traditional Chinese values. Writers have integrated elements such as the ideas of the Eastern Zhejiang School and the folk customs of the Wu and Yue regions into their creations, enabling the works to highlight distinct regional cultural identities while conveying traditional Chinese values. In the field of online dramas, emphasis is placed on using real - life themes and traditional culture as carriers to achieve a balance between local characteristics and public emotions. For example, the radio drama "The Melody of Overseas Chinese's Return" produced by the government of Qingtian County, Lishui, takes the return of overseas Chinese to start businesses as the main line, integrating elements such as the agricultural cultural heritage of rice - fish co - cultivation and Qingtian drum lyrics. It has been disseminated to more than 20 countries and regions through China Media Group and overseas platforms, with more than 5 million clicks, forming a regional characteristic industrial ecosystem. In the field of online games, the focus is on the immersive expression of traditional culture. The online game "Black Myth: Wukong" developed by Hangzhou Youke Interactive has deeply integrated elements of Chinese classical mythology. From character modeling, scene construction to plot narration, it has integrated traditional aesthetics and cultural connotations into the game mechanism. Through high - quality graphics and immersive experiences, it has attracted global players to actively explore the Chinese mythological system and traditional art values, becoming a phenomenal case of online game overseas dissemination in the model of the "new three cultural items." This way of integrating culture into entertainment carriers has lowered the cognitive threshold of culture and achieved an upgrade in dissemination from passive reception to active exploration.

03. Digital Technology Empowerment: Upgrading Provincial Communication Efficiency

As a strong digital economy province, Zhejiang has deeply integrated technological innovation into the overseas dissemination chain of the "new three cultural items," using digital means to solve the problems of language barriers, experience gaps, and market adaptation in the overseas dissemination of culture. In the aspect of content localization, AI technology has become an important tool to break through language barriers. The AI dubbing system independently developed by Zhejiang Radio and Television Group's Z - Media Platform uses natural language processing and speech synthesis technology to achieve real - time multilingual translation and dubbing. It not only significantly shortens the traditional dubbing cycle but also improves the cultural context adaptation through algorithm optimization, enabling Zhejiang - produced dramas to quickly adapt to the language habits and aesthetic preferences of different global markets while maintaining their cultural core. In the aspect of cultural experience, VR/AR technology has reconstructed the interactive scenarios of cross - cultural communication. The online game "The Detective Blades" developed by Hangzhou NetEase Leihuo Technology has deeply integrated VR technology with historical and cultural scenes based on Zhejiang's mature digital technology ecosystem, constructing an interactive virtual Northern Song Dynasty Bianjing scene. Overseas players can personally experience the architecture, folk customs, and humanistic features of the Song Dynasty through the equipment. This experiential dissemination has broken through the one - way nature of traditional cultural output, transforming cultural symbols from static display to dynamic participation and significantly enhancing the appeal of dissemination. Big data analysis provides precise navigation for market adaptation in overseas dissemination. Zhejiang's cultural enterprises have built a database of overseas user behaviors and deeply mined dimensions such as reading preferences, viewing habits, and payment characteristics, enabling content creation to shift from experience - based judgment to data - driven decision - making, ensuring that the theme selection, narrative methods, and dissemination rhythm of the "new three cultural items" precisely match the needs of different regional markets and achieving an efficiency leap in cultural dissemination from extensive to precise targeting. This in - depth coupling of technology and culture is the core competitiveness for Zhejiang's overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items" to continuously break through geographical limitations.

04. Channel System Construction: Exploration of an Independently Controllable Communication Network

In the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items," Zhejiang takes "independently controllable channels" as the core and relies on the advantages of the digital economy to build a three - dimensional communication framework of "local hub + global nodes," systematically breaking through the dependence on overseas platforms. At the provincial level, it gives full play to the advantage of resource integration to build a core distribution hub - Zhejiang Radio and Television Group has built an international communication matrix based on the Z - Media Platform and achieved technological independence through self - built overseas server clusters. This not only ensures the direct distribution of Zhejiang - produced online dramas and documentaries but also avoids the traffic algorithm restrictions and profit - sharing squeezes of third - party platforms, laying a foundation for content dissemination autonomy at the underlying technical level. At the provincial - municipal coordination level, a mechanism for extending the communication network has been formed: under the overall coordination of one provincial - level international communication center, the international communication centers at the prefectural - level in Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Huzhou and other places undertake the functions of "linking local resources + establishing global nodes." They build a multi - platform independent matrix covering social platforms, mainstream media, and overseas influencers, dispersing the risks of a single platform and achieving flexible control over the content distribution rhythm and coverage; at the same time, they optimize the communication strategy based on local cultural data insights and cooperate with the provincial - level center to build a full - chain ecosystem of "creation - distribution - evaluation." This collaborative model of "the provincial hub setting the direction and the municipal nodes strengthening implementation" not only strengthens the independent control of channel data but also improves the accuracy and risk - resistance ability of cultural overseas dissemination, providing a sustainable channel guarantee for the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items."

III. Model Optimization: The Path to Perfecting the New International Communication Model of Zhejiang's "New Three Cultural Items"

01. Content Model Upgrade: Building a "Provincial IP Matrix + Global Narrative System"

In response to the problems of cultural transformation barriers and homogeneous themes, it is necessary to strengthen the systematic development and cross - cultural adaptation of content. On the one hand, establish a "dynamic database of Zhejiang cultural elements," systematically sort out core resources such as the culture of the Song Dynasty, celadon craftsmanship, and Zhejiang academic thoughts, and form a reusable and transformable content material library through digital labeling and hierarchical classification to provide cultural core support for the creation of the "new three cultural items"; on the other hand, promote the diversified innovation and narrative transformation of provincial themes. While encouraging the creation of realistic themes with Zhejiang characteristics such as common prosperity and the digital economy, establish an adaptation model of "cultural symbols - international audience perception," and integrate local cultural elements into story carriers that can trigger global resonance through youthful expressions such as science - fiction reconstruction and youth narratives, breaking through the limitation of shallow display of single symbols.

02. Channel Model Innovation: Constructing a Communication Network of "Provincial Independent Platform + Global Nodes"

Focusing on the problems of insufficient independent control of channels and unbalanced market coverage, it is necessary to strengthen the construction of the platform matrix and precise regional targeting. At the provincial level, upgrade the Zhejiang Digital Culture International Cooperation Zone into a comprehensive hub for "content incubation - copyright trading - overseas distribution," integrate local platform resources such as the international version of Z - Media Platform and Jiuzhou Culture, and build a global content distribution network supported by independent technology to reduce dependence on third - party platforms; at the municipal level, coordinate the international communication centers in Hangzhou, Wenzhou and other places to implement the regional in - depth development plan. Based on the market portrait from big data analysis, focus on promoting digital innovation IPs in the European and American markets and strengthening content with cultural affinity in the Southeast Asian market, forming a hierarchical coverage system of "provincial hub overall planning + municipal node implementation."

03. Ecosystem Model Improvement: Improving the Provincial Support System of "Policies - Technology - Talents"

In response to the gap in collaborative support, it is necessary to build a full - chain guarantee mechanism. At the policy end, set up a provincial special fund for the overseas dissemination of the "new three cultural items," focusing on supporting overseas copyright protection and localized operation services, and establish a dynamic docking mechanism between "policies - enterprise needs" to break through the "last - mile" problem of implementation; at the technology end, layout a provincial - level cultural overseas dissemination technology service platform, integrate tools such as blockchain copyright deposit, AI intelligent translation, and big data user analysis of the target dissemination regions, and provide inclusive technical support to enterprises; at the talent end, promote the joint establishment of a "Cross - cultural Communication College" by universities, enterprises, and international communication institutions to cultivate compound talents with "cultural insight + digital technology + regional market" capabilities to make up for the shortage of local talent supply.

04. Brand Model Shaping: The Leap from "Made in Zhejiang" to "Zhejiang Values"

To enhance the recognition of the provincial cultural brand, it is necessary to strengthen the full - chain development and value output of cultural IPs. On the one hand, promote the extension of high - quality "new three cultural items" content to the entire IP industrial chain, realize cross - form linkages such as the adaptation of online literature IPs into film and television works and the development of cultural and tourism derivatives of online game IPs, and form a brand cluster effect; on the other hand, refine the provincial communication logo of "digital innovation + cultural inclusiveness," use the "new three cultural items" as carriers to convey the practical value concepts of Zhejiang such as common prosperity and ecological civilization, and promote the international audience's perception of Zhejiang culture to upgrade from product symbols to value recognition.

IV. Conclusion

The practical exploration of the overseas dissemination of Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" has not only constructed a new provincial international communication model of "ecological support - content innovation - technology empowerment - independent channels" but also provided replicable local experience for the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture. From the top - level design of policy coordination to the in - depth empowerment of digital technology, from the global translation of cultural symbols to the three - dimensional layout of independent channels, Zhejiang has responded to the era's proposition of global dissemination with local innovation, not only retaining the "soul" of cultural roots but also finding the "bridge" for international resonance. The core value of this practice lies in: through systematic innovation at the provincial level, transforming local cultural advantages into international communication potential and forging the strength of the digital economy into a sharp weapon for cultural overseas dissemination, providing a sample for the international communication of provincial - level culture across the country. In the future, with the continuous optimization of the model, Zhejiang's "new three cultural items" will not only be carriers for the overseas dissemination of cultural products but also important windows to convey Chinese values and highlight Zhejiang's distinctiveness, contributing Zhejiang's strength to the cultural dialogue in the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Author Introduction:

Zhang Minggang, a lecturer at the School of Marxism, China Jiliang University. He has published many papers, including 2 in Peking University Core Journals, and participated in compiling 1 academic work.

(Source: Zhijiang Strategy)