When "Black Myth: Zhong Kui" was officially released as a teaser trailer at the Cologne Game Show in 2025, many people were still immersed in the visual feast brought by "Black Myth: Wukong". From transforming into the Monkey King of 72 to exorcising judge Zhong Kui, the choice of game science clearly carries deep positioning and cultural considerations. Zhong Kui, a deity that holds an important position in Chinese folk beliefs, is not as well-known as Sun Wukong, nor does it have a rich storyline like mythological figures such as Nezha and Yang Jian. This' familiar unfamiliarity 'seems to have left ample room for imagination for creators and players. In the fierce competition of the global cultural and creative industry, the value of the Chinese mythology system is being rediscovered and reinterpreted. From the Marvel universe supported by ancient Greek mythology to the Thor series inspired by Nordic mythology, the Western mythological system has already established mature business models and cultural output systems in today's creative content. Chinese mythology, a cultural treasure trove with thousands of years of history, is currently entering the world stage through digital content such as the "Black Myth" series. The clever choice of the character Zhong Kui lies in the balance between cultural depth and creative space - possessing sufficient cultural recognition while maintaining ample creative flexibility. In traditional culture, Zhong Kui is known as the "god of exorcism and warding off evil spirits". His image is often depicted as holding a ghost slaying sword, wearing a judge's robe, with a fluffy head and a twisted beard, exuding an awe inspiring aura. The Book of Rites from the Beginning of Heaven states: "During the day when the Ming Emperor was sleeping, he dreamed of a little ghost with a red calf nose, a bare foot, a pair of shoes, a hanging shoe, and a flying fan. He stole the embroidered sachet of Taizhen." "I saw a big ghost wearing a tattered hat, a blue robe, a fishing belt, and morning boots, and went straight to catch the little ghost. He first set his eyes on it, and then chopped it and ate it. When I asked, who was it? I reported that I was Zhong Kui, a successful candidate in the southern region." This dream record provided the initial vivid description and literary basis for the image of Zhong Kui. Compared to the highly stereotyped image of Sun Wukong in Journey to the West, Zhong Kui's artistic expression has significant diversity. Through the Yuan Dynasty drama "Alarm Clock Kui" and the artistic performances of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it has become an indispensable symbol of our cultural tradition. In different literary works, the image of Zhong Kui embodies both the majesty of exorcising evil and the vividness of humor and wit. The ambiguity of this story and image provides creators with rich interpretive possibilities: it can showcase the majesty and solemnity of traditional judges, while also incorporating the complex levels and grayscale expressions of modern storytelling. From the perspective of RPG (role-playing) game design, Zhong Kui is also a highly potential character prototype, and his role as a judge implies that he is neither a traditional hero who saves the world nor a revenge driven alternative hero, but rather a exorcist judge. This may provide rich creative space for game mechanics, bring differentiated gaming experiences, and enhance the depth of narrative structure. Meanwhile, as the protagonist dedicated to catching and suppressing demons, Zhong Kui inevitably comes with a rich skill system, presenting a dazzling skill tree and combat system in the face of various demon powers. Many players have already begun to look forward to seeing a contrast between this setting and that of Western demon hunters or mages. Behind the surface fantasy skills and folk magic lies the profound localized culture and life experience of Chinese mythology, as well as a common sense of human nature and moral emotional identity. Such game characters not only retain the unique charm of Eastern culture, but also have value recognition, laying a good foundation for global dissemination. Of course, for a wide range of players, what is even more intriguing is whether "Zhong Kui" and "Wukong" may be in the same dimension of time and space? If this vision comes true, we will witness the construction of a larger Chinese mythological space and achieve unprecedented integration and collision in the digital world. This integration across different mythological lineages is not only an innovative interpretation of traditional culture, but also a bold exploration of modern narrative possibilities. When the solemnity of the underworld and the majesty of the East Sea Dragon Palace appear in front of players, what we see is not only the progress of game technology and the breakdown of game worldviews, but also the manifestation of cultural narrative imagination. The dialogue and competition between Eastern and Western cultures. The digital reconstruction of the current Chinese mythology system is not just a simple cultural transplant, but also a profound cultural dialogue and innovative practice. Throughout the development history of the global cultural and creative industry, the commercialization of the Western mythological system has provided us with important reference coordinates. The images of Zeus, Apollo, Athena, and others in Greek mythology have become symbols of global popular culture through Hollywood movies and games. Characters such as Odin and Thor in Norse mythology have easily transformed from ancient legends to contemporary IPs through Marvel's packaging. However, the success of the Western mythological system does not solely rely on its cultural connotations, but more importantly, its narrative structure that adapts to modern media dissemination. The complex blood relationships and power struggles between gods in Greek mythology naturally possess the dramatic conflicts required for modern Hollywood films; The eschatology of the twilight of the gods in Norse mythology provides a philosophical foundation for modern science fiction works. These features enable Western mythology to easily integrate with modern narrative systems and form a mature cultural innovation chain. In contrast, the challenges faced by the Chinese mythological system are even more complex. Apart from the diversity of religions, compared with classic documents such as "Edda" and "Homeric epics", Chinese mythology presents a loose and fragmented state in terms of system. From the strange mythical beasts in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, the divine and demonic fighting methods in the Investiture of the Gods List, to the strange tales in Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, we can see that from the folk legend of the Land City God to the literary works of immortals and monsters, various mythological elements are extremely rich and colorful, but lack a unified lineage sorting. It should be pointed out that in this dialogue and comparison between China and the West, we need to be wary of the mentality of excessively using others as a yardstick. For a long time, Chinese culture has sometimes fallen into the misconception of excessively catering to Western aesthetics when entering the international market, diluting or even abandoning its own cultural characteristics for the sake of so-called "internationalization". The value of the "Black Myth" series lies in its consistent adherence to Chinese culture as the foundation, telling Chinese stories in world languages rather than packaging Western narratives with Chinese elements. The emergence of "Black Myth: Zhong Kui" seems to mark a new trend in the digital reconstruction of the Chinese mythological system. With the success of the debut of the "destined man", the "Black Myth" series opens up our rich traditional materials and story boxes, forming a systematic cultural expression strategy that can be traced. Today's game creation is highly mature in both narrative construction and technological evolution, continuously providing innovative experiences for players worldwide. Using mythology as a narrative resource to promote cultural dialogue and industrial cooperation between China and the West has become a common practice. In this context, Zhong Kui, as a combination of folk beliefs and literary creation, has sufficient narrative flexibility and plasticity, and can also carry multiple interpretations of modernity, providing a clear and hierarchical thematic context for the expression of the value of games. In the era of globalization, the cross-border dissemination of cultural products often faces the challenge of "cultural discounts" in the transition from catering to confidence. A cultural product may have high value in its native cultural environment, but when it spreads to other cultural environments, its value may be compromised to varying degrees due to cultural differences. In the past, the overseas dissemination of Chinese cultural products often adopted a "catering" strategy to reduce the impact of cultural discounts. Today, the success of games such as Genshin Impact on the sea reflects the leap forward of our independent research and development ability of games. The live demonstration of Shadow Blade Zero makes players feel the charm of Chinese martial arts culture, while the series of Black Myth further reflects the important change from "catering" to "self-confidence". The game science team did not deliberately downplay Chinese cultural elements to cater to the tastes of overseas players. On the contrary, they made the unique charm of Chinese mythology the core selling point of the game. Through exquisite visual presentation, in-depth cultural exploration, and high-quality gaming experience, they attracted overseas players to actively understand and recognize Chinese culture. The success of this strategy stems from a profound understanding of the laws of cultural dissemination. In the era of information overload, homogeneous products are difficult to stand out in fierce competition. Only products with unique value propositions and distinct cultural characteristics can leave a deep impression in the minds of consumers. After thousands of years of cultural accumulation, the depth and breadth of the Chinese mythological system are far beyond the reach of ordinary cultural symbols. This profound cultural heritage is the core competitiveness of Chinese cultural products in the international market. More importantly, the cultural model represented by the "Black Myth" series provides a reference path for Chinese cultural products to go global. The core of this model is not to cater deliberately or imitate blindly, but to let the world know and understand the unique value of Chinese culture through contemporary expression techniques and high-quality digital experience technology based on its own cultural context. This method of spreading culture through gentle rain is often more effective than direct cultural education. The cultural confidence and creative determination demonstrated by the game science team, from Wukong to Zhong Kui, are exactly the qualities that China's creative industry needs today. This not only sets a new benchmark for the Chinese gaming industry, but also provides important practical experience for the overseas dissemination of Chinese culture. In today's increasingly fierce global cultural competition, only works that have unique cultural connotations and can adapt to the development of the times can occupy a place in the international market. The game science team is building a mythical universe belonging to contemporary Chinese people in their own way, guided by spiritual guidance and value adherence, from defeating Buddha in battle to eliminating demon judges. This process is not only a simple reproduction of traditional culture, but also a modern interpretation and global expression of the spiritual core of Chinese civilization. At the same time, it also highlights the enormous potential and unique value of the Chinese mythological system, providing rich spiritual resources and vast imagination space for modern cultural and creative products. Every mythological character is a potential IP core. Zhong Kui's choice is not only a tribute to traditional culture, but also an exploration of modern innovation. In this era full of uncertainty, people need not only entertainment and leisure, but also spiritual guidance and adherence to values. With the continuous improvement of China's gaming industry's technological strength and increasing cultural confidence, we have reason to believe that more excellent works like the "Black Myth" series will emerge. These works will not only bring new gaming experiences to global players, but also become an important carrier for Chinese culture to go global. The ancient saying goes, "Mountains are not high; immortals are famous; water is not deep; dragons are spiritual." The value of Chinese mythology lies not only in its antiquity, but also in its ability to provide spiritual nourishment and cultural identity for modern people. The arrival of the "Black Myth" series has shown us the radiance of this ancient culture in the possible world of the digital age. Author: Xuan Xuejun, Vice Dean of the School of Animation and Games, China Academy of Art