A total of 61 professional soccer players have been given disciplinary sanctions, including 43 of them being banned from soccer for life, as China's sports and public security authorities jointly issued sanctions on Tuesday in the aftermath of a series of corruption cases in the sport since November 2022.
Among the names in the 43-player lifetime ban list, the most high-profile ones are former Shandong Luneng player and ex-China international Jin Jingdao and Shandong's South Korean player Son Jun-ho. The two "engaged in improper transactions, manipulated soccer matches, and obtained illegal gains in pursuit of unjust benefits," the Chinese Football Association (CFA) said.
It remains unclear if Son will serve his ban in South Korea as he has been playing for Suwon FC in the South Korean top-tier league in 2024. The CFA said the cases will be submitted to international soccer governing bodies AFC and FIFA.
Among the 17 individuals who received a five-year suspension, the emergence of 40-year-old Wang Song, a veteran soccer player, has stunned many fans and commentators. Wang was previously hailed as an "evergreen soccer player" in China as he has scored in 23 consecutive seasons.
Song Kai, head of the CFA, indicated that soccer clubs involved in corruption also face penalties.
"Whether it's players or clubs involved in such activities, we will handle the cases strictly according to the laws and regulations and impose industry sanctions without leniency," Song told a press conference on Tuesday.
Zhang Xiaopeng, a senior official from China's Ministry of Public Security, said the goal of the investigation is to act as a high-pressure deterrent and genuinely purify the soccer industry.
"Ongoing investigations focus on illegal gambling and bribery as entry points to uncover and thoroughly investigate illegal activities such as match manipulation by players, coaches, referees, and club officials," Zhang said.
Zhang Xin, chief of the Sports Competition under the General Administration of Sport of China, said that issues such as match-fixing, gambling, and organized crime in soccer are a "cancer" eroding the healthy development of soccer and a major obstacle to the sport's revitalization.
"Building a positive soccer culture is essential," said Zhang Xin. "By promoting integrity and transparency, we aim to foster an environment conducive to the healthy development of soccer in China."
According to figures released at the press conference, criminal charges have been brought against a total of 83 individuals since 2022, meaning there is a second list of people in the soccer industry who will face sanctions.
Zhang Bin, a Beijing-based sports commentator, said the first round of sanctions is just a starter and the "main courses" will be served at a later time.
"The banned players are just a starter for the long-awaiting punishment of those who ruined a decade of China's soccer progress," Zhang Bin told the Global Times.
"We do not see the names like [former national team coach] Li Tie and [former Shandong coach] Hao Wei as well as several senior CFA officials who had been prosecuted. That means there has to be a second and even a third batch of people who will be banned from the soccer industry."
In early September, in order to continuously optimize the power business environment, State Grid Taizhou Electric Power Supply Company actively cooperated with the government's "Efficient Completion of One Task" initiative, which includes a series of services such as joint application, joint site inspection, joint inspection, joint activation, and joint transfer of accounts.
Over the past year, State Grid Taizhou Electric Power Supply Company has actively implemented the "Efficient Completion of One Task" by integrating water, electricity, gas, and internet service resources, establishing a new "Five Ones" joint application service model for water, electricity, gas, and internet services, which includes "one application form, one-window acceptance, one site inspection, one construction process, and one simultaneous activation".
In March of this year, the service connotation of "Efficient Completion of One Task" for power supply services continued to expand. By integrating business processes such as account transfer, name change, account cancellation, category change, capacity increase, refund, and VAT change, strongly related power business "individual tasks" were integrated into "one task" from the perspective of enterprises and residents. For low-voltage and high-voltage groups, six power supply joint service scenarios such as "account transfer + category change + refund + VAT change", "account cancellation + refund", and "name change + VAT change" were launched. At the same time, a dedicated service section was launched on the State Grid Mobile App, enabling full-service online joint processing with internal transfers but no external transfers.
Since the launch of the service, more than 160 enterprises and individuals in Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province have benefited, with over 20 pieces of business documentation streamlined and a significant reduction in the time required for business processing, resulting in a notable improvement in the electricity service experience for the public.
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed that the environment concerns the well-being of people in all countries. During his many inspections, Xi has always emphasized the importance of ecosystems, spanning from cities to rural areas, and from enterprises to communities.
Under President Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has been advancing the green transition of its economy over the last decade. Regions across the country are actively promoting the construction of an ecological civilization and advancing Chinese modernization featuring harmony between humanity and nature. These efforts go toward creating a "Beautiful China."
The coming five years will be critical to the building of a "Beautiful China." The Global Times is launching a series of stories to explore the progress of ecological civilization projects inspired by Xi's words, delving into the positive environmental changes occurring now, and offering valuable insights and references for both national and global efforts.
Through this prism, we can see how Xi's thoughts on ecological civilization is being put into practice and further inspiring public action.
The Global Times recently visited the largest hydropower station in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to witness the advanced power and technology achievements of China's clean energy projects in remote areas. The visit also included a trip to an ethnic minority community village that was relocated due to the project's construction. Our reporter witnessed significant improvements in the quality of their life after relocation.
This shows how China's green energy development integrates resources, drives the process of modernization, and sets a scientific example for many developing countries worldwide. In the past, the Yarkand River in Xinjiang would flood annually during the rainy season, causing destruction to infrastructure, submerging farmland, and engulfing homes and villages. Bubishare, a Uygur resident who grew up in a village upstream of the river, still vividly recalls the cries of helplessness from those affected by the devastating floods before the construction of the Aratax water conservation project. Thanks to the project, these nightmares are now a thing of the past for local residents.
Located in the Karakorum Mountain Valley, the Aratax water conservation project, known as the "Xinjiang's Three Gorges" project for its grandeur and construction challenges, was constructed to control the Yarkant River. The 1,289-km-long Yarkant River in the Tarim Basin is Xinjiang's most flood-prone river, and the towering dam can withstand the turbulent floodwaters in a reservoir with a storage capacity of 2.2 billion cubic meters.
Today, this dam is gushing with clean water sources, stable power, and also gushing with hope for the minority groups on the desert.
In August 2023, President Xi Jinping urged firmly grasping the strategic positioning of Xinjiang in the overall national situation and better building a beautiful Xinjiang in the process of pursuing Chinese modernization, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, demanded thorough, meticulous, concrete and sustained efforts to develop a beautiful Xinjiang that is united, harmonious, prosperous, and culturally advanced, with healthy ecosystems and people living and working in contentment, in the process of pursuing Chinese modernization.
The building of a beautiful Xinjiang extends from a dam to a relocated ethnic minority community. The relocation of villagers to new homes with improved living conditions, as a result of the dam project, has brought green energy, green fields, and a green dream of prosperity to the villagers.
Path to build new hope
After a challenging 6-hour journey along the rugged Tasha Ancient Road, the Global Times reporter finally laid eyes on the Aratax dam nestled in the mountainside deep within the Karakorum Mountain. Without firsthand experience of this journey, it is difficult to fathom the obstacles encountered during the entire process of researching, designing, and constructing the dam - no roads on the ground, barren mountains devoid of trees, transportation primarily by feet, and communication mainly through shouting. Accidents like overturning were frequent due to the rugged environment.
The Xinhua Hydropower Generation Co, Ltd, a subsidiary of the China National Nuclear Corporation, began construction on the water conservation project in 2011, with a total investment of 10.98 billion yuan ($1.5 billion). The Aratax project has played a crucial role in flood control, irrigation, and power generation. The river plain, with a population of 4 million and an irrigated area of over 6.5 million mu (433,333 hectares), is the largest irrigated area in Xinjiang and the fourth-largest in China, benefiting 2.4 million people in the region.
Zhang Yibo, a frontline employee at the developer, told the media, "Over a decade ago, this place was even more desolate and rarely visited, and our water conservancy experts achieved a remarkable feat here." Confronted by the harsh natural surroundings, the builders traversed mountains, camped under the open sky, drank from rivers when thirsty, and rested in tents outdoor, with a firm passion for building a sustainable dam for locals.
From July 18 to August 17, 2021, the Aratax water conservancy project successfully connected four units to the grid in just one month, a rare accomplishment in the history of global hydropower development. This hydropower station significantly alleviated the power shortage in the four southern prefectures in Xinjiang. The project's designed annual power generation is 21.86 billion kilowatt-hours, saving 883,100 tons of standard coal annually while reducing smoke and dust emissions by 175,300 tons, and enabling the residents of southern Xinjiang to access cleaner energy.
The dam's incorporation of advanced technology, such as unmanned compaction technology using the Beidou satellite, improved digital visualization of the construction progress, and magnetic induction devices to assist in fish migration, have been notable features of its intelligent design.
"Following the completion of this project, it has greatly supported our irrigation efforts. Economic crops like sea buckthorn and apples are now extensively cultivated in the desert, leading to significant improvements in both economic and ecological benefits," Fan Kexing, Party secretary of Tong'an township, Kashi, Xinjiang, told the Global Times. "Previously, the area was plagued by strong winds and sandstorms, with sand and gravel striking house windows with a loud thud, but this phenomenon has now been alleviated," Fan noted.
Path to enjoy better life
Over the last six years, the residents of the remote Karakorum Mountains in Xinjiang have experienced incredible changes. Having previously lived in the vast desert with only three mu of arable land per person a decade ago, they had to trek seven kilometers to the mountains for drinking water, which needed to be purified before consumption. Power outages lasting for days at a time were a common occurrence. However, these challenges are now a thing of the past.
Today, the residents have an average annual income exceeding 10,000 yuan, live in beautifully decorated homes with their ethnicity characteristics, and enjoy access to closer schools, more job opportunities, and reliable water and electricity services.
Thanks to the construction of the dam, in August 2018, 4,243 individuals from over 1,000 households in Kusilafu township, Aketao county were resettled in Tong'an township, over 100 kilometers away. This diverse community, made up of Uygurs, Kyrgyz, Tajiks, and other ethnic groups, have embraced their new beginning.
Zhou Jingfang, an expert at the Xinhua Hydropower Generation Co who led the relocation work, still remembers the days of tirelessly conducting site surveys, clearing land, mobilizing villagers to relocate, planning and designing new sites, building resettlement houses, greening rural areas, reclaiming farmland, introducing livestock, and setting up factories, schools, clinics, and markets.
He told the Global Times that the dedicated team members worked long hours in harsh conditions, and navigated countless checkpoints and roads in the vast desert and rugged mountains without complaint. Nowadays, the villagers are no longer facing the endless desert of despair as they did in the past.
When discussing stories of relocation, 25-year-old Bubishare said, "Our village now has schools, factories, and employment opportunities. The village has supported us to find more diverse ways to make a living."
"We have 20,000 acres of farmland, where we not only grow food but also operate cash crops cooperatives. This area is a seabuckthorn forest, and our village recently constructed a seabuckthorn fruit processing plant. Our seabuckthorn beer will soon hit the market. With ample water supply, we are confident in our farming endeavors." Fan shared proudly while standing amid the seabuckthorn forest.
In a local farmer's backyard sheep pen, the Global Times reporter observed over 20 Dolan sheep, known as "living banks." Zhou explained that by raising two Dolan sheep, a farmer can become prosperous within two years due to their high reproductive rate. In Tong'an, many villagers raise Dolan sheep in this manner and enjoy prosperity.
Tong'an township has also collaborated with local businesses to establish factories, providing employment for local women to produce items made from Xinjiang cotton, such as down jackets and socks for overseas export, ensuring female workers earn at least 2,000-3,000 yuan per month. "The factory is conveniently located, allowing women to balance family responsibilities while earning an income," Fan informed the Global Times.
In one factory, a wall in the workshop reads, "Happiness is achieved through hard work." These words have accurately described how local women in Xinjiang have embarked on the path to modernization through their own hands.
Along the Yarkand River, beyond the Karakorum Mountain, the villagers of Tong'an are employing their diligence and unwavering efforts to write their own happy stories in the desert. They have left behind isolation and poverty, embracing hope and prosperity within short years. In this vibrant land, a new life of perseverance and success is blossoming with vibrant hues.
The US House of Representatives' latest bill on electric vehicle (EV) tax credits that aims to bar US carmakers from working with Chinese EV companies is another political maneuver that could hurt US businesses and consumers, a Chinese expert said on Friday.
On Thursday, the US House narrowly voted to pass a bill restricting EV tax credits for vehicles using battery technology licensed from China. The bill has faced opposition from the White House, the South China Morning Post reported on Friday.
The new bill has fueled sharp partisan divisions in the US, with Republicans arguing that it challenges China's dominance in the EV sector, and Democrats and labor unions warning of job losses and reduced US competitiveness against Chinese firms, according to media reports.
The legislation is reportedly the last act of "China Week" at the US House, during which US lawmakers push for anti-China bills. With more than 20 bills targeting China on issues such as biotechnology, EVs, drones and agriculture, the "China Week" has also been called by many the "Anti-China Week."
"In the US, there's broad and strong agreement on suppressing China's cutting-edge industries, but it's tangled among intricate partisan and industry interests," Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times on Friday.
Alongside the EV bill, the "China Week" also saw some other contentious bills, such as the Biosecure Act, which seeks to block US federal agencies from working with certain Chinese companies under the guise of "national security."
Responding to the passage of the US Biosecure Act, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that China firmly opposes the passage of the bill by the US House of Representatives and the discriminatory measures against Chinese companies.
"The US needs to abandon ideological bias, respect the principles of market economy and trade rules, stop advancing that bill, and stop suppressing Chinese companies under various pretexts," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the ministry, said at a regular press briefing, adding that China will continue working to protect the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.
China on Thursday said that it will eliminate tariffs on imports from all least-developed countries (LDCs) with which it has diplomatic relations, including 33 African countries, starting from December 1, 2024.
The move underscores China's commitment to continuous opening-up to share development opportunities with the world and support the development of LDCs, experts said.
In a notice posted on the website of the Ministry of Finance, the Customs Tariff Commission of the State Council, China's cabinet, said that the move aims to expand unilateral opening-up to the LDCs and achieve shared development.
The plan, initially announced on September 5 at the 2024 Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, was one of the major outcomes of the critical summit, where Chinese and African participants drew up a blueprint for China-Africa cooperation.
Commenting on the plan at a press briefing on Thursday, He Yongqian, spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, said that the decision makes China the first major developing country and the first major economy to take such a step.
"The measure will play a positive role in allowing the least-developed countries to expand exports to China and share opportunities in China's large market. It will also promote unity and cooperation in the Global South and promote inclusive economic globalization," He said.
Song Wei, a professor at the School of International Relations and Diplomacy at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said that China has always offered preferential tariffs for LDCs, and the latest move marks a significant expansion of the policy.
China has also held trade expos to connect products from LDCs with Chinese consumers. By doing so, "China is expanding imports from relevant countries," Song told the Global Times on Thursday.
When the heads of CIA and MI6 appeared together publicly for the first time in their 77-year intelligence-sharing partnership over the weekend, they warned of an "unprecedented array of threats." Surprise, surprise, China is included. Immediately following that, reports indicate that the US House may vote this week on more than two dozen China-related bills aimed at addressing the alleged national and economic security threats posed by Beijing. The "masters of deception" are once again orchestrating and fueling a new wave of anti-China McCarthyism.
On Saturday local time, CIA Director Bill Burns and MI6 Chief Richard Moore made an unprecedented joint public appearance at the Financial Times Weekend Festival in London. They stressed that the global order is under threat, and after discussing some regional conflicts, they expressed a continued need to focus their attention on China. On the same day, they also published a jointly authored commentary article, articulating that for both the CIA and MI6, "the rise of China is the principal intelligence and geopolitical challenge of the 21st century."
The CIA and MI6, known for being among the world's largest sources of misinformation and disinformation, clearly will not stop fabricating lies to stir up tensions. The reason is simple: If the world were peaceful and stable, they would be among the first to face job losses. They would lose their grip on a fractured international landscape and miss out on the profits they make from ongoing chaos.
"I was the CIA director. We lied, we cheated, we stole ... We had entire training courses. It reminds you of the glory of the American experiment." This is a line from a speech by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in 2019. The intelligence agencies of the US and its allies have long been the hidden hands behind American hegemony, orchestrating wars, coups, and fabricating lies to further their objectives. Now, with China's rise, these agencies have turned their attention to hyping up the "China threat."
How has China's rise become a threat? Even the US cannot provide a credible example to support this claim. The truth is that China is focusing on addressing pressing global challenges, from pursuing green transformation to mediating the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and that in the Middle East, which are being prolonged and exacerbated by Western interventions.
China has consistently stressed that both China and the US can achieve mutual prosperity and peaceful coexistence. However, this idea seems almost inconceivable within the toxic political environment in the US.
Some American politicians are gearing up to pursue "decoupling" to the fullest extent. Take the US House, for example. It is set to kick start "China week" with fast-track approval of a slew of China-related bills, beginning on Monday, "to be aggressive in confronting the threat that China poses."
The bills include The End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles Act; a ban to stop China from purchasing US farmland; DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act. The series of bills are largely rooted in unfounded accusations and baseless fears. In US politics, truth has become irrelevant, and lies have become the norm. Much of US political focus on China is based on falsehoods.
What US lawmakers should be focusing on are domestic issues and approaches for advancing economic development. Hyping disinformation, such as the "China threat," won't fix US' own issues or reinforce American hegemony. Promoting a rational and pragmatic China policy is the option that best serves US long-term interests. A mutually beneficial outcome can only be realized through dialogue and cooperation, rather than confrontation and hostility.
Huawei launched its new product - a triple-fold smartphone - on Tuesday, just hours after the release of Apple's artificial intelligence (AI)-boosted iPhone 16, which sparked wide discussion about the technologies behind the two tech giants.
Analysts said that Huawei's debut of the new phone, following a string of successful smartphone launches, highlights its ability to weather the US sanctions. In recent years, Huawei has not given up innovation in science and technology.
This shows the resilience and determination of Chinese high-tech companies to innovate independently in the face of external pressure. Meanwhile, other Chinese smartphone manufacturers are catching up in technologies and innovations, analysts noted.
Richard Yu, chairman of Huawei's consumer business, said on Tuesday during the launch event that it took Huawei about five years to develop the world's first triple-fold smartphone, which is also the largest and thinnest foldable handset in the world.
As of Tuesday afternoon, pre-orders for Huawei's triple-fold smartphone - Huawei Mate XT - had surpassed 4 million units since it became available online Saturday, showing market confidence and expectations for the new tech device, whose base model starts at 19,999 yuan ($2,814).
Both Huawei and Apple smartphones are due to go on sale on September 20.
"Apple's annual release of new products is always a hot moment in the industry, although the iPhone 16 has made no major technological breakthroughs, whereas Huawei released the world's first ever triple-fold mobile phone, achieving a breakthrough in the industry," Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Apple shares on NASDAQ fell more than 1 percent during the launch event - though ended 0.04 percent higher on Monday US time - reflecting market skepticism about its AI-centric products, which analysts said is Apple's new focus - AI-driven software upgrades instead of hardware modifications.
Such efforts are meant to encourage users to purchase Apple's new devices, industry insiders said.
In the second quarter, Apple was edged out of the top five smartphone vendors in China, as competition from Chinese brands intensified, according to a report released by research firm IDC.
"Apple has occupied a dominant position in the global high-end market, and other domestic brands are also committed to breaking through to the high-end market, but they are still unable to compete with Apple," said Xiang.
Smartphones are anticipated to emerge as a key arena in the new wave of AI competition, Wang Peng, an associate research fellow at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
International fashion brands in jewelry, handbags, and apparel are now eyeing opportunities in China's booming coffee market, starting to expand their businesses to cross-industry products and services. Chinese experts attribute the new market evolution to China's widening opening-up which has created vast opportunities for global corporations.
ROCK&RIDE, a US-based jewelry brand, told the Global Times on Tuesday that it has expanded its offerings this year by adding coffee services and a dedicated "coffee space," with its first coffee store officially launched in downtown Beijing.
The "coffee space" named ROCK&RIDE TASTE, was launched in August within Beijing's 798 Art District. Currently, ROCK&RIDE TASTE offers a limited menu of four beverages including three coffee options and one caffee-tea beverage, all served cold.
"China's coffee market is widely acknowledged for its vast growth potential. Coffee and tea are popular beverages globally, and the relationship between the two is not a zero-sum game in China." the CEO of ROCK&RIDE told the Global Times on Tuesday.
"We believe that the growing demand for coffee in China doesn't necessitate altering consumers' existing beverage preferences. Instead, it offers an additional choice for consumption and experience," he said.
Recently, several international brands have shown a strong interest in China's coffee market, exploring cross-industry opportunities.
Vivienne Westwood operated its new caféat Beijing's Sanlitun Street on August 8. On July 28, Coach officially launched its first café in China, located in Shanghai's Huangpu district.
In response to market demand, another Vivienne Westwood café in Beijing is expected to open for business at the year-end, a representative from Vivienne Westwood Café told the Global Times on Tuesday.
Many consumers told the Global Times that the coffee products offered by the globally well-known brands are appealing to them. They enjoy the combination of their favourite fashionable brands with coffee, making it a must-have purchase.
"China's market is highly diverse, open, and inclusive. It's not just coffee but also tea beverage that has seen rapid growth in business," Bian Yongzu, executive deputy editor-in-chief of Modernization of Management magazine, told the Global Times on Tuesday.
He noted that this growth underscores the strong adaptability of Chinese consumers, especially the younger generation to the evolving market trends.
Bian said that foreign brands' swift decision-making in China is closely tied to the country's commitment to sticking to high-level opening-up.
A recent report revealed that China's coffee industry reached 265.4 billion yuan ($32.29 billion) in size last year, with market projections estimating it to grow to 313 billion yuan in 2024. The industry's compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past three years reached 17.14 percent.
Additionally, the report stated that 930 million cups of coffee were consumed nationwide through delivery platforms. Over the past four years, coffee delivery orders have experienced a compound growth rate of 66 percent.
"The Chinese government is intensifying efforts to fully implement national treatment for foreign-funded enterprises. Initiatives like reducing the negative list for foreign investment, simplifying the investment process, and facilitating smoother capital flows have boosted the efficiency of foreign investment in China while cutting costs," Bian said.
One day before China’s 3A game Black Myth: Wukong was released, Chinese content creator “Gray” wrote a post on Reddit, introducing the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, the game’s main source of inspiration. With a compelling description in well-written English, the post garnered 70,000 views within 15 hours, even though the official release had not yet taken place at that time.
“My English proficiency is decent, and I hope to contribute my modest efforts to break down some cultural barriers, allowing more international players to experience our Chinese culture through this game,” Gray told the Global Times.
Days after Black Myth: Wukong was released and gained global popularity, game enthusiast Ye Yi excitedly commented on various YouTube videos after completing the game. She briefly introduces Journey to the West in her not-so-fluent language, and enthusiastically shares the gorgeous Chinese elements behind this trending game.
“My English is very bad, but I really want to recommend the game and related Chinese culture to more people overseas,” Ye said to the Global Times. “I just feel so proud.”
Gray and Ye are among an increasing number of young Chinese generation who voluntarily promoting Black Myth: Wukong on international social media platforms, while also introducing and explaining the profound traditional Chinese culture behind the game.
With the growing popularity of the game among global players, many young people, especially those in the West, are for the first time getting closer to and marveling at ancient Chinese mythological classics, historical sites, and folk music through the game. Seeing a growing number of overseas posts requesting more in-depth explanations of these elements, many Chinese game and traditional culture lovers actively share and spread these Chinese treasures to the world with pride.
Enthusiasts spontaneously promoting games like Black Myth: Wukong overseas, are a manifestation of growing confidence in Chinese culture, said senior game producer Mei Bo, who is also the founder of a company that offers venture capital and strategic consulting services for gaming startups.
“With the continued emergence of successful cases including Black Myth: Wukong, more investment and resources will focus on the Chinese gaming industry,” Mei told the Global Times. “That not only drives the development of China’s gaming sector, but also allows traditional Chinese culture to reach the world through this new, modern medium.” ‘It helps a lot’
So far, Gray’s post introducing Journey to the West has had more than 700,000 views on Reddit. In the 700-word post, he briefly explained the book’s background, main plot, major characters, and the connection between the book and the game.
Gray decided to write the post after he saw some comments on overseas platforms complaining that Black Myth: Wukong is not very friendly to non-Chinese players. He used the example of a review from a large gaming website, which critiqued that the story in the game assumes its players have knowledge of Journey to the West, and it is tough to follow without it.
“There were also many players who said they were quite interested in the game, but were afraid they would be unable to fully experience the wonder of the content, because of their lack of understanding of Chinese culture,” Gray recalled. “The game’s localization is actually not bad, but the cultural barriers do exist, making it difficult for international players to understand the deeper cultural connotations behind its story and characters.”
Gray, a 27-year-old doctor of pharmacy, has been working as a content creator in video games in English for years, sharing English expressions of game terms and related background information with Chinese netizens. With rich experience in cross-cultural communication in the gaming industry, he knows how to introduce Journey to the West to overseas audiences in a more easily acceptable way.
“The novel is a mix of myth, folklore, and religious elements, and it has had a profound impact on Chinese culture and literature,” wrote Gray in his post. He added that, the story follows the journey of a monk Master Xuanzang from the Tang Dynasty (618-907), who is tasked with traveling to present-day India to retrieve sacred Buddhist scriptures.
In the post, he explained the names of the book’s main characters in three ways: Chinese characters, pinyin, and literal or current mainstream translations of the names.
“Thank you for explaining everything, it helps a lot! I really look forward to playing Black Myth: Wukong,” one user wrote. “Danke (‘Thank you’ in German), what an opportunity, our thoughts are traveling east, to bring this cornucopia to the west,” wrote another. “Indeed, (it’s) ‘the journey to the East’ for us westerners.”
Within weeks, Black Myth: Wukong has become one of the most popular games around the world this summer. It took the top spot on the Steam Deck Top Played chart between August 5 and September 3, according to data from Game Rant. The game has been a common topic among numerous YouTube and TikTok vloggers in recent days, particularly gaming content creators.
‘Precious thing is ours’
In the second chapter of the game, a headless Buddha named “Lingji” performing Shanbei storytelling, a form of folk song art from Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, has gone viral online with a unique vocal style and rhythmic music. Many gaming vloggers have praised it, using it as their ringtone, and even attempting to cover the song.
But soon after, some overseas content creators started to mention the British Museum when discussing this folk song. They believed that “Bodhisattva Lingji” is headless because many Buddha relics in China were looted by foreign invaders centuries ago, and are now housed in the British Museum.
A few Chinese players first linked the fictional narrative in the game to real-world issues, and spread that on overseas social media. Later, more and more international players joined in, calling for the British Museum to return the “looted” global cultural relics, including those from China.
It’s worth noting that “Bodhisattva Lingji” is actually a fictional character in Journey to the West; no reliable historical documents or archaeological findings prove that he existed in reality, reported the Xinhua News Agency. And the game’s producer, Chinese company Game Science, has not responded to questions about the metaphor. However, this incident resonated with many Chinese players, who started to feel that games could help international layers to know more about China’s historical and cultural treasures, including their highlights and probable tragic stories.
The shortage of understanding about Chinese culture has also led to many misunderstandings. Gray mentioned that many overseas vloggers wrongly said the character Sun Wukong in the game is based on “Son Goku” from Japanese manga Dragon Ball. They didn’t know that Dragon Ball was actually inspired by China’s Journey to the West.
“I saw some Indians say Wukong is from their country, and I was very angry about that,” she told the Global Times. Under that post, Ye, along with other Chinese users, replied that Sun Wukong is originally from the 2,000-year-old The Classic of Mountains and Seas, a foundation of the traditional Chinese mythology system.
Ye represents numerous ordinary Gen Z Chinese players who have a deep love for the traditional culture of their motherland, and are now bursting forth with unprecedented cultural confidence and enthusiasm with the global popularity of Black Myth: Wukong. They can’t wait to tell the world that “this precious thing is ours.”
“I feel so proud,” said Ye. “French history, Norse mythology, the Wars of the Roses… It is not an exaggeration to say, I knew these foreign histories and cultures all through video games. Now, it’s our turn to export our Chinese culture in such a new form.”
“The trend of Chinese games going global has become increasingly prominent. With the continuous maturation and development of the domestic gaming industry, more and more high-quality games are making their way to the global market,” Mei said.
“Meanwhile, the enhancement of cultural confidence enables Chinese game developers to actively add more traditional cultural elements into their works,” he added. “They start to find that, these elements not only attract Chinese players, but also spark strong interest overseas.” Complement each other
Black Myth: Wukong is not the first Chinese game to make an impact overseas. Before it, games such as Genshin Impact by miHoYo, Naraka: Bladepoint by NetEase, Whiteout Survival by Century Games, and PUBG Mobile by Tencent, also attracted overseas players.
Genshin Impact, for instance, aroused the curiosity and interest of Western players with its rich Chinese elements. Gray recalled that there was a female character performing Peking Opera in this game, “and many of my international friends asked, ‘what is she doing?’ - they did not know about such a traditional Chinese opera style,” he said. “This performance was quite fresh to many people overseas, and they were naturally attracted and wanted to learn more about it.”
Chinese games and their players complement each other, said Mei. Good games attract domestic players to voluntarily share information in gaming communities, and their spontaneous recommendations improve the games’ reputation and help promote its overseas spread. “Like Genshin Impact, its success in Western markets is largely due to its active player communities and the word-of-mouth effect,” he said.
A woman was detained for editing her ex-boyfriend’s photo into a portrait of the deceased, accompanied with text accusing him of drug use, according to a case shared by police in South China’s Guangdong Province on Tuesday.
The woman, surnamed Huang, had a conflict with her ex-boyfriend following their breakup, according to local police. In an attempt to defame her ex-boyfriend, Huang edited his photo to a posthumous portrait, accompanied by funeral background music and text accusing him of drug use and his mother of engaging in prostitution. The content was then shared and circulated on a short video platform.
Huang has been administratively detained by local public security authorities in accordance with the law.
The public security bureau also disclosed additional cases, including individuals providing paid services for verbal abuse on social media platforms, and others uploading photos and videos of their employer and the employer’s wife on short-form video platforms with extensive insulting and defamatory content, stemming from discontent over the poster’s wage.
Since the beginning of this year, police in Guangdong Province have probed a total of 289 cases of cyber bullying in accordance with the law, investigated and dealt with 447 suspects, disrupting a range of cyber violence and illegal and criminal activities.
