Illustration: LiuXiangya/GT

Imagine the intangible cultural heritage of China's shadow puppets reenacting Michael Jackson's iconic dance moves, which have broken the barriers of ancient crafts; and martial artists performing kung fu at the foot of Mount Emei, one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism in China, which allows audiences to experience its charm... 

On Chinese social media, one can find a plethora of creative cultural short videos that integrate tradition. These short videos have become an essential channel for spreading the fine traditional Chinese culture. 

To capture users' attention in a short period, cultural short videos need to provide in-depth, interesting, and inspiring cultural knowledge, allowing the audience to feel the beauty of the culture. 

"Small yet refined" cultural content further meets users' diverse demands for information acquisition, knowledge sharing, and entertainment, while enriching the forms of cultural communication. 

The current cultural short videos cover a wide range of subjects, including history, travel, food exploration, and rural life. 

Specific categories include the explanation of folk customs, traditions and clothing and ceremonies; the narration of knowledge popularization in classic literature, history and philosophy, the interpretation of ancient inventions, architecture, and art; and the analysis of cultural stories, historical figures and cultural events.

Data shows that in 2023, traditional culture short videos topped the list of preferred content types among short video users for the first time, with a user share of 43 percent.

Among these, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and folk customs showed significant growth. 

In ICH, video views, content production and user numbers on major short video platforms increased significantly. For example, in 2023, ICH-related content on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, received 372.6 billion views, with a 33 percent increase in video numbers. 

More than 13.79 million netizens shared their ICH experiences, driving related topic video views to over 112 million, with a 33 percent increase in cumulative sharing rates. 

On another video-sharing platform Kuaishou, ICH-related video views increased by 40 percent, with over 11 million ICH creators, a 30.5 percent increase.

The creation of cultural short videos can be divided into "self-portrayal" (Chinese media and creators telling Chinese stories) and "other-portrayal" (people from other countries telling Chinese stories), becoming the main modes for Chinese culture to "go global."

Compared with "self-­portrayal" videos that introduce Chinese food culture, martial arts culture and ICH to viewers overseas, "other-portrayal" can foster a more international communication environment.

Notably, a new group of "foreign internet celebrities" in China, with their unique language styles and fresh "outsider" perspectives, record cultural differences they experience in their daily lives, covering various aspects such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation. 

These videos have gone viral on social media, effectively breaking down foreign prejudices against China. Y China Media, a cross-culture social media outlet co-founded by a group of young Chinese and Israeli entrepreneurs, explores current hot topics in Chinese society through street interviews; African woman "Rose," who married a Chinese man, documents her happy family life in China, conveying her recognition of Eastern culture and lifestyles, and more.

Thanks to the visa-free policy, more people from abroad are coming to China and sharing their travel videos on social media overseas, which have also helped promote Chinese local cultures and show China's real image to the world.

In addition, with the advancement of digital technology and increased user engagement, the development of cultural short videos is presenting new forms and trends, especially short videos made by AI technology.

AI technology has shown significant advantages in video editing, animation, and special effects creation, enabling the production of imagined imagery and creating a novel visual experience, thereby enhancing the overall presentation of videos. 

For example, AI's Perspective on 'Along the River during the Qingming Festival recreates the prosperity of Bianjing, the capital city of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), offering an immersive cultural experience. 

The Vernal Equinox, one of the 24 Solar Terms, has been turned into a 35-second video with the presentation of 15 AI-generated images, detailing the characteristics and customs of the Vernal Equinox. 

It can be said that AI has become an important driving force for the development of new cultural short videos. 

In summary, the immense streaming views generated by cultural short videos not only give more people worldwide a channel to appreciate the fine traditional Chinese culture but also bring market attention to related practitioners, further converting this attention to potential consumption.

The author is an assistant research fellow with the National Radio and Television Administration's China Communication Research Center. life@globaltimes.com.cn