An aerial view of West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province Photo: TUCHONG

Humanistic economics seeks the all-round development of human beings, emphasizing how humanistic resources, ways of life, and intellectual pursuits can deeply empower socioeconomic development. Its research spans two dimensions: Probing the essential attributes of humanity and examining the core essence of economic development. Ultimately, humanistic economics addresses a fundamental question—how individuals pursue happiness. This perspective offers important insights for Chinese modernization: Once material development reaches a certain threshold, greater attention must be devoted to behavioral choices and value orientations in non-material domains, as well as to the pathways through which individuals find happiness. Zhejiang’s cultural globalization illustrates humanistic economics in practice. It not only provides a compelling example of how theory translates into action but also charts a practical path for Chinese cultural outreach in a globalized world. The very process of exploration itself has become a fresh case enriching the theoretical development of the field.

Humanistic economics: value logic

The global promotion of Chinese culture is both an essential avenue for building a culturally strong country and a major channel through which China presents itself to the world. Cultural globalization carries economic value by deepening international cooperation and expanding trade space, while also serving strategic purposes by shaping China’s national image, conveying Chinese perspectives, and enhancing global influence. Today, the modes through which Chinese culture “goes global” have undergone a profound transformation, expanding from the traditional “three old items”—making dumplings, practicing Tai Chi, and learning Chinese—to the “three new items” represented by online literature, online games, and online dramas.

Yet Chinese culture’s global reach continues to face several obstacles—cultural distance and distinct cultural “genes” can create a “cultural discount”; Western dominance in the global cultural landscape and market competition poses additional pressure; and the hegemony of intellectual property systems further constrains China’s cultural enterprises. Cultural distance increases the likelihood that foreign audiences misunderstand the value concepts, ideologies, and historical contexts embedded in Chinese culture, forming barriers to acceptance and creating confusion about identity. Addressing how to mitigate the weakening effects of cultural genes on cultural discount—by tailoring content to local cultural characteristics—has therefore become a key challenge. Likewise, restrictions stemming from the global intellectual property regime directly impact the international cultural competitiveness of China’s cultural enterprises.

Cultural distance may be understood as the degree to which audiences in a target country accept Chinese culture. Based on our earlier research, countries can be broadly grouped according to their cultural distance and actual cultural trade patterns: Most Southeast and South Asian countries exhibit both relatively close cultural distance and active trade exchanges; Albania, Bulgaria, and other countries show close cultural distance but limited active trade interactions; while Thailand, Malaysia and other countries maintain strong trade relationships but display comparatively high cultural distance.

In the practical context of cultural globalization, the development concepts within humanistic economics must be translated into concrete action. The essence of Chinese culture’s global outreach lies in advancing the shared values embedded in Chinese civilization. These values constitute both the practical implementation of humanistic economics and the foundation for deepening the impact of cultural globalization. They are specifically manifested as the people-centered commitments to public well-being; an enterprising spirit of self-improvement and virtue; ecological wisdom that recognizes harmony between humanity and nature and the oneness of all things; a global vision of universal harmony and amity among all nations; a broad-minded ethos that regards all people as siblings and the world as a public domain; and an inclusive attitude that finds fulfillment in achieving one’s own goals and even greater satisfaction in helping others achieve theirs. Only by weaving these shared values—rooted in the cultural genes of Chinese civilization—into the practical mechanisms of cultural globalization can humanistic economics take firm root, ultimately realizing a synergy of economic and humanistic value.

To make these shared values perceptible, cultural globalization requires diverse, concrete forms of expression. We therefore conceptualize the value connotations of cultural products at four levels. The first is the nature level, which highlights the sensuous beauty of Chinese culture and, through creative use of cultural elements, lays the perceptual foundation for accepting shared values. The second is the rational level, which conveys rational beauty by creatively transforming and drawing inspiration from the lived wisdom of ordinary Chinese people. The third is the intellectual level, which expresses intellectual beauty through engagement with humanity’s shared intellectual pursuits and value commitments. The fourth is the artistic conception level, where cultural spirit permeates lived and spatial environments, enabling audiences to experience emotional resonance with Chinese cultural products in everyday life.

Zhejiang practice: innovative pathways

By tapping into Zhejiang’s cultural essence, a new trend that blends the lingering charm of the Wuyue (907-978) state and Song (960-1279) dynasty with contemporary sensibilities is taking shape. As Zhejiang promotes its cultural globalization, it reassesses and reinterprets its cultural identity within a global cultural landscape defined by commonality, sharing, and universality. Navigating the local connotations of Chinese culture thus requires balancing locality and internationalization, tradition, and modernity. As an integral component of Chinese culture, Zhejiang culture is a regional treasure cultivated by its people within particular spatiotemporal contexts—its distinctive value can only be fully expressed through systematic refinement and dissemination. In July 2021, the Implementation Plan for the High-quality Development and Construction of Demonstration Zones for Common Prosperity in Zhejiang (2021–25) explicitly called for the creation of representative cultural symbols and identifiers of Zhejiang, aiming to showcase the cultural brand “Picturesque Jiangnan, Dynamic Zhejiang.” The provincial Department of Culture Radio Television and Tourism launched a Zhejiang cultural hallmark initiative—a project to decode Zhejiang’s cultural genes—building a high-quality shared platform that supports institutional innovation and lays the groundwork for deeper exploration and creative transformation of Zhejiang culture.

To further promote the integration of culture and technology in the spirit of the “Qiantang Tide,” a digital empowerment platform should be developed. First, guided by the development of new quality productive forces, Zhejiang should continue cultivating its digital cultural industries. Hangzhou has long been at the forefront of the country in integrating culture and technology, providing strong momentum for the digital cultural sector. Second, Zhejiang should continue fostering a digital innovation ecosystem and build infrastructure that strengthens the integration of digital and real economies. The province leads in digital technology applications, cultural data-driven development, digital platform transactions, advanced terminal experiences, and the creation of new, immersive, multi-sensory, and pan-entertainment projects through digital terminals. Third, investment should be increased in key digital technologies to enhance digital perception. Zhejiang continues to invest in fields such as game engines, AI-based special effects, and advanced editing technologies. Finally, intellectual property protection must be strengthened to safeguard digital copyright value. The “China Data Valley” under construction in Hangzhou supports standardized domestic and international transactions in data-driven cultural products by developing data transaction certificates and exploring blockchain-based cross-chain authentication mechanisms.

Exploring competitive market mechanisms also helps demonstrate the “Zhejiang synergy” of government and enterprise cooperation. First, ensuring fair competition for private enterprises is essential. Zhejiang’s robust private sector has flourished precisely because of this equitable environment.

Second, deepening reform of the cultural system and building a cultural innovation ecosystem will further strengthen Zhejiang’s competitiveness. The province continues to optimize governance, market, legal, and innovation environments, and it has experimented with diversified funding models that combine public support, social capital investment, and enterprise-driven initiatives, laying a solid foundation for cultivating world-class cultural enterprises with international competitiveness.

Third, Zhejiang should prioritize innovating international cooperation mechanisms and strengthening platforms for cultural interaction. As Hangzhou works to become an international center for cultural and creative industries, it has established exchange centers in countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, and Switzerland, forming stable, long-term partnerships with international enterprises and mainstream media. Through organizing and participating in international cultural festivals and film festivals, as well as conducting professional training, Zhejiang integrates government and enterprise resources to amplify its cultural outreach and engage more proactively with global cultural markets.

In conclusion, humanistic economics provides theoretical guidance for cultural globalization, while cultural globalization embodies humanistic economics in intercultural practice. Through its efforts to explore cultural connotations, harness digital empowerment, and cultivate competitive market mechanisms, Zhejiang has blazed a distinctive path for cultural globalization. These practices offer valuable insights for Chinese culture going global and vividly demonstrate the power of integrating culture and the economy. Looking ahead, Zhejiang will continue deepening the mutual reinforcement of humanistic and economic development, innovate models for cultural globalization, and steadily enhance the global competitiveness and influence of its cultural products—allowing Zhejiang culture to shine more brightly on the world stage and contribute greater wisdom to advancing Chinese culture globally and building a community with a shared future for humanity.

Xiang Yong is the director of the Institute for Cultural industries at Peking University.