Last week, the Chinese video game “Black Myth: Wukong” garnered 2.3 million concurrent players in two days and sold 4.5 million copies, ranking second among all games ever featured on Steam, the global video game platform.
The emergence of such a game, developed by the Tencent-backed startup GameScience over the past seven years, is not a coincidence. Whether the game designers intended it or not, the game’s global popularity marks a profound shift in China’s society and its relationship with the world.
China is transitioning from a focus on manufacturing to entertainment, from connecting with the world through material goods to engaging a global audience with evocative, intangible stories.
For decades, Hollywood movies, Disney and Pixar animations have been the go-to sources of entertainment for billions of people around the world, and they likely will remain so for a long time.
Consumers in countries speaking various languages have absorbed American aesthetics and ways of storytelling through these blockbusters.
The witty, the violent, the romantic and the thrilling—all that define dramatic stories produced in the US—have shaped the screen culture of many across the world.
While critiques of some of the unhealthy content have never ceased, the dominance of US screen culture cannot be overstated.
Storytelling that resonates
But the success of “Black Myth: Wukong” reveals a shift in this dynamic. How could the story of a Monkey King from the 16th century be so successful?
It is certainly not because it is Chinese but because the themes revealed in the mythology resonate with people from any cultural background.
The world is currently in a volatile state, with wars, economic instability, exacerbating climate crises and growing inequality. The story of Wukong, rooted in the journey of a monk and his disciples seeking Buddhist scriptures from India, is more relevant than ever.
The game follows the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West” in that monsters, foes and adversaries with various powers disrupt the protagonist’s quest to reach the Pure Land to collect Buddhist scriptures.
Yet the courage, wisdom, justice and teamwork of the group will eventually overcome the difficulties. This internal unity against formidable external forces is the very strength the world longs for.
The game’s themes—curbing uninhibited desires, battling powerful heavenly gods, fighting against unfair treatment—resonate with modern players.
These themes address issues like economic inequality, environmental degradation and exploitation by powerful industries, making the story more than just a game; it’s a reflection of what society needs right now.
As reports link the game’s success to China’s soft power, it’s crucial to understand the content strategies behind these entertainment successes. Soft power builds on media.
Without compelling content or the right platform, it doesn’t gain traction. What makes content appealing? It’s content that demonstrates a deep understanding of oneself and an equally profound knowledge of the audience.
China seems to have finally grasped the recipe for creating content that sells globally. By reexamining its own cultural heritage and recognizing its beauty and value, developers in the country’s cultural industry have realized that their secret toolkit lies within their own traditional culture.
State-led cultural confidence
This emphasis on traditional Chinese culture is also reflected in state policy. The agenda of establishing cultural confidence was reaffirmed in the country’s 14th Five-Year Plan, with a goal of significantly enhancing China’s cultural soft power by 2035.
This policy has influenced university research, K-12 education, public knowledge, and social media platforms, among others.
Instead of the castles and cathedrals prevalent in Western video games, Wukong integrates Chinese temples, pagodas and pavilions, all based on centuries-old heritage sites, particularly in Shanxi, a place famous for ancient wooden architecture.
Numerous scenes take place in beautiful, photorealistic settings, showing misty mountains, lush forests, Buddhist sculptures, crystal-clear waters, and old pines. These landscapes, rooted in Chinese aesthetics of paintings and architecture, build atmospheric and immersive scenes in the game.
The poetic quality elevates players’ experiences from typical video game battles to cultural appreciation.
A number of other Chinese games and animations have also achieved global success. The animated film “Chang’An” tells the life story of Tang dynasty poet Li Bai.
Another animated film by the same company, “The White Snake,” is based on the famous legend of a romance between a human and a snake spirit who transforms into a beautiful woman.
Mobile games like “Genshin Impact” and “Honkai: Star Rail”, which have garnered millions of fans in app stores, have extensively integrated traditional architecture, art, poetry, costume and even opera into the story and scenes of the games.
The rise of multimedia technologies in China, coupled with increased government funding and support, has effectively promoted the success of these cultural products. China’s museums and cultural heritage sites are using VR, the metaverse and AI technologies to engage more with audiences.
Dunhuang Caves Museum has launched successful e-museum and VR programs. In Sichuan province, digital scans and a VR database have been created for over 83 structures dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
Indeed, “soft power” still hinges on hard technologies. As the game industry is infused with high-tech elements—from 3D scans and high-end CPUs to high-resolution imaging—these popular games reflect China’s transition and commitment to invest not just money but time into building technologies that can craft memorable and global stories.
This emphasis on futuristic science and technology aligns with the recent rise of China’s science fiction on the global stage, from Liu Cixin’s “The Three-Body Problem,” which has been adapted into a Netflix series, to Hao Jingfang’s interstellar stories “Jumpnauts” and AI scientist and entrepreneur Kai-Fu Lee’s co-authored book “AI 2041” with sci-fi writer Chen Qiufan.
The issue of equity in growth
Wukong’s success, while remarkable, also raises questions about the distribution of its financial benefits.
With a production cost of over US$50 million, the revenue generated is likely to flow predominantly to the tech giants and investors backing the game developers, rather than to the ordinary working class in China or the cultural custodians whose heritage the game draws upon.
Game developers should allocate some funds to support small and medium-sized enterprises in the cultural sector, especially those focused on preserving and promoting traditional arts and crafts.
Additionally, developers should engage with community-based projects that directly benefit local artisans, educators, and cultural institutions. For example, profits could support cultural preservation initiatives, such as the restoration of heritage sites and funding for traditional arts education in rural areas.
Furthermore, fostering a more inclusive and collaborative environment within the gaming and cultural industries is essential. By creating opportunities for smaller studios and independent creators to collaborate with larger companies, the industry can diversify its output and ensure that a broader array of voices and talents are represented.
In the long run, for China or any country to truly boost its soft power, it must cultivate an environment where not only the most technologically advanced and visually stunning stories thrive but also where modest presentations of cultural heritage can capture minds.
When the focus shifts from spectacle to the richness of culture, historical heritage will truly shine.
Gerui Wang is a lecturer and researcher at Stanford University who teaches about AI and the cultural industry with a special focus on technologies and East Asian culture.
Beware. The Monkey King will corrupt the young American minds and listen in on the mindless conversations of old foggies in Washington.