Nine hundred years ago, when Guo Maoqian, an obscure governmental official, compiled a collection of ancient Chinese lyrical pieces, he could never have anticipated that two of his characters, a heroine and a veteran, would later become global stars, introducing Chinese culture to the world.

From Guo’s Anthology of Music Bureau Poetry, Hua Mulan, a legendary warrior woman, has not only inspired generations of Chinese people with lessons of perseverance and girl power, but has also served as a cultural ambassador to a foreign audience, following Disney's well-received 1998 adaptation of the heroine’s story.

“We have much to learn from the history and success of China. Traditional Chinese culture is a treasure trove of stories. By bringing them to a Western audience, and giving new life to Eastern ones, we can shrink the differences between us and make a path towards a more harmonious and empathic world,” Raymond Singer, the Annie Award-winning screenwriter of Mulan, told China Daily.

Echoing Singer, Bancroft, a veteran director at Walt Disney Animation and Sony Pictures, added that more recent US films have explored Chinese culture and environment, which has opened audiences to a whole new world of stories and characters.

Singer, along with other Disney content creators, visited Mulan’s birthplace in Hubei province in March, to get further inspiration for a new live-action version of Mulan, as well as fostering a better understanding of traditional Chinese culture.

An authentic Chinese warrior, not a westernized heroine

Alex Xin, an Art research fellow at Peking University, told People’s Daily Online that Mulan’s image in the western world has changed over the past two decades, altering from a westernized heroine into an authentic Chinese girl.

“When you check the 1998 animation, Mulan was depicted as a fighter for gender equality, which kind of missed the point, as the original story mainly focused on promoting traditional family value. I’m glad that the new movie has included this important clue, showing that after two decades, Westerners now have a better understanding of Chinese culture.”

The upcoming Mulan movie, which has a release date of 2020, has caused an online frenzy, with many foreign audiences calling it a great way to become familiar with traditional Chinese culture.

“When I was a child, Mulan’s story helped me develop a strong interest in Chinese culture. I am looking forward to the new movie, which may help us understand more cultural elements behind the story,” said Vegard Persen, a 24-year-old Norwegian artist.

Though not as famous as Mulan, another character in Guo’s poetry, a John Doe veteran who joined the army at the age of 15, has done a great job of introducing authenticity to tales of Chinese culture. In Total War Three Kingdoms, a popular game from UK-based developer Creative Assembly, the nameless soldiers’ story has been adapted into a theme song, showing the audience the brutal war of the Three Kingdoms Period in ancient China.

Based on Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the game represents historical depictions. In one trailer, the Imperial Seal of China, a famous jade seal in Chinese history, is seen to have a broken corner decorated with gold. Such a design is in accordance with real historical records, as the seal indeed had a chipped edge, which was later restored with gold.

In addition to Chinese history, the game has also introduced some philosophical concepts to foreign players. The Chinese concept of “guanxi,” which deals with social connections and relationships, has been included in the game system, while virtues that the ancient Chinese revered such as “obligation, reciprocity and trust” are also essential factors in the game.

“As one of the oldest civilizations in the world, Chinese culture is deep and obscure to us foreigners. By introducing traditional Chinese in popular genres such as film and games, it will be much easier for foreigners to understand China,” noted Persen.

To date, the game trailer has received over 2.5 million views on Youtube, with many players expressing their desire to learn more about the history, as well as showing their respect for Chinese culture.

“Over the years, the background of most strategy stories is set in Ancient Europe or Japan. With more people getting interested in China, the time seems right for game producers to cater to a Chinese audience,” said Alex.

Enormous entertainment market

Apart from foreign audience’s growing interest in China, the country’s huge domestic market seems to be an even more important reason for the rise of Chinese culture in the global entertainment arena.

According to a survey published by the Motion Picture Association of America in April, with US and Canadian cinema takings at a 22-year-low thanks to an audience decline, the Chinese market will soon be world’s top film market.

The statistics for the Chinese gaming industry are also quite promising. With 600 million gamers, roughly twice the entire population of the United States, China has overtaken America as the “global gaming capital” regarding market size. The country is now the world’s largest mobile games market, accounting for over 25 percent of global revenue, while domestic games revenue in China is expected to reach a total of $42 billion by 2022.

“Roughly 5 percent of our business comes from the Greater China area, and we already have two studios in China, fulfilling the local needs of Chinese players. The Chinese gaming market is a big opportunity for foreign companies like us,” Michael Burk, director of Corporate PR, Ubisoft, told People’s Daily Online.

In addition to the vast market, the efforts of Chinese authorities to protect intellectual property rights has also encouraged more foreign films and games to enter the Chinese market. According to statistics, a total of 18,037 publication copyrights were imported into the country in 2017, a much larger number than previous years.