On 12 December, People's Daily published a theoretical article by Professor Zhang Zizhong, a researcher under the School's Hundred Talents Programme. The original text is as follows:
Empowering the International Dissemination of Chinese Civilisation through Information Technology
The efficacy of international communication constitutes a composite capability system formed by the integration of communication resources, content innovation, and audience engagement. It concerns not only the reach and influence of communication but also reflects the comprehensive performance of the communication system in symbol production, discourse construction, and audience cognitive transformation. General Secretary Xi Jinping attaches great importance to enhancing international communication effectiveness, stating: "Strengthen the capacity for international communication, comprehensively enhance its effectiveness, and establish an international discourse power commensurate with China's comprehensive national strength and international standing." The Proposals of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee call for "enhancing the communicative power and influence of Chinese civilisation" and "improving the effectiveness of international communication." To thoroughly study and implement the guiding principles of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important speeches and earnestly implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, we must deeply grasp the shifts in the public opinion landscape brought about by information technology transformation. We should coordinate technological innovation with innovations in communication methods and content development, enabling information technology to serve as an accelerator for disseminating Chinese civilisation and a booster for enhancing the international influence of Chinese culture. This will empower the international communication of Chinese civilisation, allowing Chinese culture to engage with the world in a more confident, open, and inclusive manner.
In today's world, the rapid advancement of new-generation information technologies profoundly alters human production, lifestyles, and modes of thinking, emerging as a pivotal variable in reshaping communication logic, expanding communication spaces, and enhancing communication effectiveness. Amidst the profound restructuring of global public opinion landscapes and the accelerated evolution of media ecosystems, the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation presents historic opportunities for the international dissemination of Chinese civilisation. Technological clusters represented by artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, and blockchain are propelling international communication away from a linear model centred on "content output" towards a networked, algorithmic, and ecological framework characterised by "intelligent interaction". This shift signifies a transition from unidirectional transmission to intelligent, interactive symbiosis in the communication process. Enhancing communication effectiveness increasingly relies on characteristics such as precision, real-time responsiveness, and co-creation enabled by technological empowerment. Therefore, enhancing the efficacy of China's international communication in the digital age requires establishing a comprehensive communication system underpinned by information technology, centred on cultural content, and guided by global mutual learning. This will further advance the evolution of China's international communication from "capacity building" to "efficiency optimisation," achieving the global expression of Chinese narratives and enabling Chinese culture to better engage with the world.
Strengthening digital underpinnings to build an intelligent communication system. A robust digital foundation serves as the "highway" for civilisational communication, significantly influencing its breadth, speed, and sustainability. Enhancing the international communication effectiveness of Chinese civilisation requires focusing on consolidating communication foundations through information technology to construct an intelligent and precise international communication system. The development of new infrastructure such as 5G networks, cloud computing, and satellite internet has enabled leaps in the coverage, stability, and timeliness of international communication, while effectively reducing transmission costs and information redundancy. Beyond data storage, network transmission, and algorithmic computing power, this digital foundation also encompasses knowledge graphs and semantic systems for cultural content. Efforts should be made to build multilingual knowledge repositories, intelligent distribution platforms, and trustworthy data systems to enhance the aggregation, governance, and service capabilities of communication resources. Accelerate the development of the national cultural big data system, strengthening cross-departmental and cross-platform data coordination and standard integration to achieve resource sharing and multi-terminal dissemination. Leveraging artificial intelligence, big data, and natural language processing technologies, construct granular "user profiles" based on regional cultural preferences and linguistic characteristics to enable targeted, personalised communication. Employ machine learning and deep learning to support dynamic optimisation of dissemination strategies. Through semantic retrieval, algorithmic recommendation and cross-language processing, enhance the visibility and comprehensibility of information, thereby increasing the precision of international communication.
Advancing expressive innovation to enhance the appeal of Chinese culture. The development of information technology is reshaping cultural creation methods, injecting innovative momentum into the global expression of Chinese civilisation. We must anchor our approach to the diverse, contextualised demands of international audiences, using technological innovation to stimulate expressive creativity. This involves transforming narrative strategies, enriching storytelling techniques, and revolutionising narrative structures to make Chinese stories more relatable, interactive, and immersive, ensuring overseas audiences find them easily understandable and readily engaging. In recent years, digital cultural products have become vital vehicles for international communication. Games like Black Myth: Wukong have captured global markets with Eastern narratives, while films such as The Wandering Earth showcase Chinese romanticism and intellectual depth through digital effects. Initiatives like Digital Dunhuang enable global users to virtually explore the Mogao Caves... Technology expands the boundaries of cultural expression, elevating our capacity to tell China's stories effectively and forging distinctive competitive advantages for Chinese culture within the global context. We should further deepen the integration of "culture + technology + creativity", employing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality to develop novel digital cultural products and cultivate cultural brands with contemporary characteristics and international appeal. We must refine the digital cultural industry ecosystem, supporting original content and young creators in conveying the Chinese spirit, landscape, and sentiment through international language and relatable narratives, thereby enhancing the affinity and effectiveness of Chinese civilisation's global dissemination.
Expand spaces for exchange and cultivate a co-creation and sharing framework. Civilisations gain colour through exchange and richness through mutual learning. The proliferation of information technology is transforming global cultural dissemination from unidirectional output to multidirectional interaction, opening new digital spaces for civilisational dialogue. Digital connectivity should unlock fresh avenues for exchange, constructing a co-created and shared framework for civilisational transmission. China's new media and content platforms, leveraging technological innovation, have become vital conduits for Chinese civilisation's global outreach, facilitating interactive dialogue with overseas audiences to deepen mutual understanding. Online literature platforms employ AI translation systems and algorithmic recommendations to attract vast numbers of international readers, inspiring overseas creators to adapt and produce localised works; Social media platforms employ intelligent aggregation algorithms to connect global audiences with Chinese music, cuisine, and festive traditions. These phenomena demonstrate that information technology not only expands the reach of Chinese culture but also propels the co-creation and shared enjoyment of global culture. Efforts should continue to strengthen the overseas presence and technological investment of mainstream new media platforms, optimise multilingual content recommendation mechanisms, and establish a collaborative dissemination system involving "national platforms, social forces, and overseas communities" to foster two-way cultural interaction. By leveraging algorithmic collaboration, co-created content, and emotional resonance to enhance goodwill dissemination, we can present a credible, endearing, and admirable image of China to the world. This will deepen overseas audiences' understanding of China, strengthen emotional bonds, and facilitate their transition from passive recipients to active participants and disseminators of Chinese narratives.