South Korean media: China's cultural industry goes global, becoming a global competitor!
On March 4, the South Korean media "Seoul Economic Daily" published an article stating that China's influence in the global cultural industry is rapidly increasing. The Chinese animated film "Ne Zha 2" is a landmark symbol. Last year, the film surpassed Hollywood blockbusters to become the highest-grossing film in the global movie market. Experts praised the success of the film, not only for its box office success, but also for its excellent simulation production and character animation, which are considered first-rate.
The scale of China's cultural industry market has ranked first in the world in 2024. About 1.9 trillion yuan, exceeding the United States, and 25 times that of South Korea. In particular, the growth of the digital content industry is rapid. The market size in 2024 was 1.75 trillion yuan, accounting for 9.2% of the cultural industry as a whole, but the growth rate over the past five years reached 13.5%. Compared to the United States' 3%, Japan's 2.8%, and South Korea's 4%, it is three to four times faster.
What is behind the rapid growth of China's cultural industry? First, there is a vast domestic market base. It is generally believed that animation, online dramas, games, and short video content have attracted nearly 500 million Chinese consumers through smartphone and computer platforms.
Secondly, the government has taken strong and continuous support measures. The Chinese government supports the cultural industry, not only to expand domestic demand, but also to enhance China's soft power in the global market. Under the goal of building a "cultural power" by 2035, hundreds of cultural industry parks have been built nationwide, and various investment and tax incentives are provided.
Third, the application of innovative technology. In particular, innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, cloud computing, and virtual reality are considered to have significantly improved the productivity of China's cultural industry and fundamentally changed the expression methods. Content planning based on big data analysis, AI-driven production, and simultaneous distribution to global markets through platforms have greatly enhanced the competitiveness of Chinese content.
Additionally, the MZ generation has played an important role. In China, the "recovery model" of expanding intellectual property rights from movies to games, animated series, and platform content to create diversified sources of income is rapidly taking root. The habit of the MZ generation of consuming content on various devices and platforms is considered a key factor in enabling this model. The "Ne Zha" series is an excellent example of the success of this model.
The chain reaction is also extensive. In addition to expanding domestic demand and creating employment opportunities (about 1 million per year), related industries such as platforms, payments, advertising, and anime merchandise have also seen significant growth. Furthermore, with China's intellectual property exports exceeding imports, intellectual property has become a new pillar of China's trade surplus, apart from manufacturing. China has established its position as a significant supplier in the global cultural content industry, surpassing its status as a consumer country.
What does this mean for South Korea? The rapid rise of China's cultural industry is both a crisis and an opportunity. The crisis lies in the increasingly fierce competition between South Korea, the United States, China, and Japan. The opportunity lies in the Asian cultural industry's potential to become the new center of the global market. In addition to short-term box office success, further strengthening public-private cooperation and developing a diversified intellectual property profit recovery strategy integrating technology is needed. Now is the time to carefully design measures for cooperation with the United States, Japan, and the rapidly developing China.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1858731233988809/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.