FILE PHOTO: Chinese aethetics is key for building an intellectual homeland in the integration of classics and technologies.

GUAN NING

In midsummer of 2024, the gaming world witnessed the rise of a dark horse contender—Black Myth: Wukong. It’s still the same monkey, the same 81 trials and tribulations, yet through the seamless fusion of cultural creativity and digital technology, the story has regained its vitality, captivating game players worldwide and elevating Journey to the West to a revered Chinese cultural classic among global audiences.

Classic archetypes are cultural treasure troves. Cultural intellectual property (IP) refers to cultural symbols with high recognition and that have been developed into cultural products through re-creation. Cultural IP originating from classic archetypes continues to thrive through endless reinvention. In the era of new media, cultural classics frequently encounter digital technologies, giving rise to fresh, dynamic and powerful IPs that resonate with audiences and become beloved icons in cyberspace. However, as we embrace this creative gift, critical questions emerge: Can the ongoing transformations of these IPs preserve the aesthetic essence of their originals? And do the cultural concepts embedded within these classics have the vitality to sustain the enduring appeal of classics?

Facilitating cultural preservation

Drawing inspiration from cultural classics for artistic re-creation is a long-standing tradition in China, frequently seen in the use of cultural allusions, the reinterpretation of motifs, and the reimagining of IPs. These practices have become a unique form and path through which fine traditional Chinese culture continues to thrive. The vast wealth of classics contains a rich array of humanistic significance, filled with wisdom and aesthetic appeal. Artists from generation to generation, building on their imitation and emulation of classic forms, have not only captured their essence but also infused them with their personal aesthetic insights, giving the classics new meaning and injecting fresh vitality, thus keeping them relevant and engaging over time.

Cultural IP begins with artistic creation and becomes iconic through timeless works. The transformation of an IP begins with its prototype and becomes iconic through creative design. IPs with historical continuity carry rich cultural genes that not only form part of the national cultural system but also become key symbols of cultural flow. For example, Ode to the Nymph of the Luo River by Cao Zhi (192-232) from the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) creates an elegant image of the nymph of the Luo River. “Her body soars lightly like a startled swan, gracefully, like a loong in flight.” The poetic language, the enigmatic love story, and the melancholic mood all contribute to transforming the beautiful nymph into a classic IP. While written words can stimulate imagination, visual experiences are more direct and intense. Artist and writer Gu Kaizhi (ca. 344-406), through his skillful brushstrokes, vividly presented the goddess’s image from the Ode to the Nymph of the Luo River on a long silk scroll during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420), satisfying the public’s imaginative expectations and making Nymph of the Luo River the first known adaptation of a literary work into a visual form in Chinese art history.

The IP sequence derived from cultural classics contains the emotional interests, aesthetic pursuits, value systems, and even cosmic consciousness of the nation, and the identification of cultural identity and the formation of cultural recognition often stem from such works. The image of the “Fisherman” has appeared frequently in ancient paintings and has endured over time. The continuous depiction of this figure by successive generations of painters has crystallized the Fisherman into an important cultural IP. In realistic paintings, the Fisherman represents scenes of labor from the agricultural era; in literati paintings, the Fisherman transcends reality, becoming a cultural symbol of seclusion. The cultural connotations carried by the Fisherman have been passed down for thousands of years, continuing to captivate artists today and frequently appearing in various artistic works.

The imageries in the ancient myths of Chang’e ascending to the moon and Kua Fu chasing the sun, embodying the early imagination and exploratory spirit of humanity toward nature and the cosmos, have become important archetypes for the creations of later artists and literati. Ancient painters were particularly fond of the subject and image of Chang’e, and Liu Songnian (1131-1218), Tang Yin (1470-1524), and Zhang Daqian (1899-1983), among others, have left behind exquisite paintings centered on her imagery. The circular fan painting Chang’e in Moon Palace by Liu Songnian, a literati painter from the Song Dynasty (960-1279), with delicate brushwork, skillfully uses visual language to make the slender and graceful Chang’e image from the Huainanzi come to life, and the misty and splendid moon palace can be visualized clearly. The visual representation of the Chang’e IP not only enhances the artistic appeal of the Chang’e image, but also creates an auspicious and elegant atmosphere in a direct way through the complementary interplay of character and scenery, endowing the classic IP with new aesthetic significance.

The creation of IP images across various artistic genres forms a continuous cultural lineage, not only linking up the cultural heritage, but also accumulating artistic energy through continuous IP re-creation, inevitably spreading from elite circles to broader audiences, permeating craftsmanship fields such as ceramics, lacquerware, embroidery, sculpture, and even architecture. In doing so, they become staples of everyday cultural consumption. Meanwhile, advances in and popularization of digital technology has opened up vast new possibilities for the IP re-creation of these classics.

Empowering IP re-creation

Mass media has always played an important role in the process of IP re-creation of classics. Iconic IPs, especially from classic literary masterpieces, have long been favored by film, television, and animation, with the image of Sun Wukong particularly well-received. As a result, Journey to the West has become the most adapted literary classic of the Four Great Classical Novels. The original text of Journey to the West is vast and complex, requiring considerable time and effort to appreciate its artistic depth and profound charm. In contrast, works like Princess Iron Fan and the ink-animation Havoc in Heaven focus on select, iconic storylines from the novel, using unique animation techniques and concise formats to vividly portray the distinct character of Sun Wukong in an accessible, intuitive, and easily digestible way. Similarly, the IP image of the nymph of the Luo River, which originated from Cao’s Ode to the Nymph of the Luo River and Gu’s Nymph of the Luo River, has been brought to life with digital creative technology’s vividness and realism in Rhapsody on the Nymph of the Luo River, achieving peak dialogue between IP images across different historical periods.

Crossover adaptations and mass media not only enable classic works to branch out and flourish in contemporary expressions but also provide new nourishment for future writer to continue reimagining them.

In the digital age, the IP re-creation of cultural classics has become more diverse and multifaceted. In addition to film, television, animation, and short videos, new forms of digital creation—such as the metaverse, immersive experiences, and video games—have greatly enriched the ways classic IPs are expressed, effortlessly adding new members to the artistic gallery of classic images. These new IPs often feature unique and distinctive designs, reflecting contemporary cultural trends and aligning with the aesthetic preferences of Generation Z.

Platforms such as Sina Weibo, Baidu bulletin board, Douban, and Bilibili, created by the new media environment, have provided a space for digital IPs to thrive and fully express themselves.

Promoting Chinese aesthetics

In the era of artificial intelligence, digital IP is gradually becoming a ubiquitous cultural product. Whether it involves ancient figures, mythical characters, or virtual personas, these entities are interpreting classical aesthetics and heritage relics in a unique way through digital art, becoming an important carrier of Chinese culture. However, as digital IP becomes an important element of cultural consumption in daily life, a pressing question arises: can we simply combine digital technology with cultural classics to ensure the perpetuation of cultural genes and the incubation of cultural gems?

Today, digital technology has become an important tool of cultural creation, but it may not necessarily enhance the artistic quality of new IPs or imbue them with souls. In fact, all ancient cultural classics originated from exceptional creative ideas and meticulous refinement.

The application of generative artificial intelligence in the cultural field has opened new possibilities for cultural creation. The barriers to literary and artistic creation are no longer insurmountable, and the IP re-creation of cultural classics has become more accessible. In the midst of the rapid emergence of AI-generated art and literature, effortless and casual artistic creation seems like an inevitable choice for many. However, the spirit of craftsmanship remains crucial. Which of today’s successful IPs has not benefited from a steady, thoughtful approach that resists the temptation of haste?

The charm of digital IP not only comes from the image itself, but also from the cultural atmosphere and unique aesthetics of the scene it is set in. The ancient civilizations reconstructed through digital technology vividly showcase the unique charm of Eastern aesthetics.

The IP re-creation of cultural classics indeed breathes new life into them and garners popularity. However, does this process truly convey the essence of Chinese aesthetics? Can digital IPs become contemporary cultural classics? In an era of fragmented, fast-paced lifestyles, the popularity of digital IPs, the short video boom, and the cultural frenzy they create owe much to their brief formats, simplistic plots, and superficial narratives. They also cater to the modern desire for quick glimpses of cultural classics, curiosity about ancient tales, and a taste for everyday like, fitting the busy rhythms and aesthetic preferences of overwhelmed modern people.

Nevertheless, easily digestible visual symbols can often feel shallow and superficial in terms of interest and aesthetic taste, failing to achieve the depth and spiritual height of cultural classics. The “technological magic cube” behind some IPs and “art” often fail to satisfy the human yearning for “poetic dwelling” and the construction of an intellectual homeland. Therefore, only by deeply understanding the essence of Chinese aesthetics can we endow digital IP with a soul, enabling classics to gain solid support and be remembered for generations.

Guan Ning is a distinguished professor from the Nanjing University of the Arts.