'IP Going Global' Helps Chinese Culture Go Global
2025-07-09
Looking at the global market in recent times, from "Black Myth: Wukong" to "Ne Zha: Children of the Sea", and then to LABUBU, the "stars" from China are shining one by one. And behind this series of cultural globalization phenomena, the power of IP is indispensable. In the global market, Chinese companies are building an increasingly complete IP operation ecosystem, transforming the dissemination power of IP across time and space into the core competitiveness of Chinese culture going global. Why can IP transcend mountains and seas and become a cultural ambassador for China to communicate with the world? Firstly, it is related to the properties of the IP itself. A high-quality IP often has strong recognition and appeal, contains profound cultural heritage, and can derive various forms of content and products. It is not just a symbol, but also a treasure with infinite potential, the crystallization of inspiration and hard work of creators and operators, and the spiritual and emotional sustenance of consumers. At the same time, the incubation of IP also relies on long-term development and continuous operation. Chinese IPs often have distinct Chinese elements and draw on international nutrients, providing consumers around the world with equally intense sensory experiences and emotional value. For example, "Black Myth: Wukong" is based on one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China, "Journey to the West", and the animated film "Ne Zha: The Demonic Child Roars in the Sea", which has entered the top five box office rankings in global film history, is based on traditional Chinese mythological stories. These IPs extract representative symbols from traditional cultural resources and transform them into creative visual expressions empowered by technology. This greatly reduces the cultural discount of Chinese culture in the process of going global, or the cold reception in overseas markets due to cultural barriers. And these popular IPs can overcome cultural barriers and inspire powerful emotional resonance. Next, digital intelligence technology should become the high-speed engine for China's IP to go global and "advance". Chinese IP needs to maintain technological sensitivity and integrate more new technological means into the entire process of IP development and operation. For example, in the field of online literature, the use and efficiency of AI are increasing day by day. It is reported that by 2024, Qidian International will have added over 3200 AI translated online literature works, accounting for 47% of Qidian International's total overseas online literature works. In the process of short dramas going global, AI has also penetrated into various aspects such as script creation, storyboard design, translation, and voice acting. In the future, we should enable more Chinese IPs to achieve "one click overseas, global updates" with the help of AI, and seamlessly connect with fans in various countries and regions around the world. Furthermore, building a strong industrial system is also the core path for China's IP to "advance" overseas. Compared with brands such as Disney and DreamWorks in the United States, there is still a lot of room for expansion in China's IP industry system for going global. Building a fully integrated online and offline industry system with IP as the core will be the next market breakthrough point. In this regard, the "Boonie Bears" IP is not only well-known in China, but related animated works have also been translated into over a hundred languages and exported to more than 130 countries. Based on this, we have also developed an innovative integrated business model of "IP+tourism+commerce", and created the cultural and business travel integration project "Bear Roaring Happy Harbor" to promote the efficient transformation of IP value into commercial consumption. And the key factor that truly determines the depth of IP going global is localization adaptation. Many IPs have a certain level of popularity in China, but when promoting them in overseas markets, they fail to resonate widely due to a lack of in-depth research and localization strategies for different cultural markets. LABUBU, who has attracted countless fans worldwide, once wore Thai clothing in Thailand, walked into world-renowned paintings at the Louvre, and transformed into a bullfighter in Spain. It is these "localization" strategies that have helped LABUBU successfully enter multiple overseas markets. In the future, Chinese literature, film and television, games and other IP going to sea should focus on "tailor-made" according to the needs of local customers, so that more Chinese IP can become global IP. When China ChaoPlay becomes the "social currency" that young people around the world compete for, IP going to sea will not only bring prosperity to the industry, but also a vivid picture of Chinese culture talking to the world in an innovative manner and molding the world with the beauty of the East. If Chinese IP wants to have evergreen vitality in the global market in the future, it cannot do without cultural heritage, technological innovation, and government support and guarantee. Only through the joint efforts of individuals, enterprises, and governments can Chinese IP be increasingly pushed to the center of the world stage. (New Society)
Edit:Momo Responsible editor:Chen zhaozhao
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