The hard truth of soft power behind Nezha, Black Myth

The rise of China's soft power comes as no surprise. What is more intriguing is to observe the emerging new logic behind the shifting scenes. The landmark breakthrough appears like a meticulously orchestrated multi-act drama. First, Black Myth: Wukong, hailed as the "definer of next-generation Eastern fantasy", stormed global gaming markets. Then, DeepSeek R1 burst onto the scene, forcing Silicon Valley and similar tech hubs across the world to reassess China's competitiveness in AI.

Meanwhile, Ne Zha 2 shattered many box office records for animation films, surpassing Pixar's Inside Out 2 by a large margin.

Finally, as if to crescendo this momentum, a report from a prestigious London-based institution announced that China's soft power has not only climbed to second place among the 193 UN member states evaluated but also achieved significant growth in six of the eight "pillars of soft power" and two-thirds of specific metrics listed by Brand Finance.

Amid these phenomenon-level events, one analysis stands out. Beyond the overarching backdrop of societal and cultural progress, as well as the Belt and Road Initiative's role as a bridge between China and the world, a cluster of "hardcore" factors has been driving China's soft power ascendance. Economic diplomacy, technological leadership and global brand expansion are identified as new engines propelling Chinese soft power into the fast lane.

Over the past 17 years, the number of Chinese brands in Brand Finance's Global 500 surged from 13 to 68, with total value multiplying more than 23-fold. In the "advanced science and technology" category, China's "leading technological innovation" index rose to second globally. For four consecutive years, China has topped both "superior business environment" and "future growth potential" rankings. This reflects the international community's confidence in China's development prospects, and suggests that the Chinese wisdom of "development as the ultimate truth" applies equally to soft power cultivation.

Brand Finance CEO David Haigh rightly attributes China's soft power rise to sustained investments in economic appeal, cultural engagement and governance stability. Yet the root lies in China's unwavering focus on comprehensive modernization. The growth of China's soft power is not a solo sprint in any single domain but a coordinated advance across economy, technology, culture, and society at large. It mirrors the nation's rising comprehensive strength while offering a textbook case of hard power nurturing soft power.

For China, soft power acts as a global image reflecting both developmental achievements and aspirations, creating a virtuous cycle with hard power. Soft power elevation relies on hard power foundations. As China bolsters its economic and technological prowess, it transforms emerging tech advantages into potent vehicles for cultural narratives, vastly enhancing Chinese culture's global reach.

The coincidentally triumvirate success of "Wukong-DeepSeek-Ne Zha" exemplifies "hardcore soft power" forged through innovative fusion of technology and culture. In particular, Ne Zha 2 and Black Myth: Wukong, now globally resonant cultural IPs, blend traditional heritage with modern digital technology to pioneer new modes of tech-empowered cultural expression.

Three and half decades after Joseph Nye, a professor at Harvard University, introduced the concept of soft power in Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power, the picture is changing. A new variable — technology — is redefining soft power. Every cultural wave rides technological breakthroughs; every tech revolution reshuffles cultural influence.

While technological progress marches perpetually forward, the thrust of progress at this particular moment carries transformative implications for soft power. Core to this shift is information technology, which disrupts one-way cultural exports and one-sided processing of cultural symbols. A decentralized cultural transmission model is redrawing the global cultural map, tilting the balance away from traditional power centers.

In a broader paradigm shift, deeper trends may be crystallizing. Nye's original concept, inevitably tinged with Cold War mentality, framed soft power as a strategic tool to assist hard power and maintain hegemony.

Amid discussions on how turbulent geopolitics might reshape global soft power dynamics, one correlation seems plausible: future evaluation frameworks may marginalize ideological biases, while soft power as a substitute for warfare must retreat. Should the unfolding chaos of today yield any constructive outcome, let it be a recalibration of global perceptions, fostering a more balanced and healthy soft power ecosystem.

Nye's definition of soft power as "the ability to shape the preferences of others through appeal and attraction rather than coercion or payment" remains largely valid. Nevertheless, a sequel to Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics might need to be written to align with the changing realities of the world.

The author is chief researcher at the China Watch Institute, China Daily. The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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