Understanding the Global Identification with China’s Stories:A Cross-Cultural Perspective

Fu Chun

Sichuan Academy of Social Sciences The University of Newcastle

Deng Da＊

Chengdu Polytechnic

Abstract: Cross-cultural storytelling is a primary way for humankind to seek mutual recognition of value orientations between cultures,which facilitates the ability to jointly address the problems of human existence in the context of globalization.In this study,we conducted an interview survey of 6,130 respondents who were college students or graduates from 107 countries.The results show that there were a number of cross-cultural values embodied in China’s stories seen by the respondents as part of a common vision for the future of humankind and widely identified guidance on collaborative responses to global challenges.These cross-cultural values are common prosperity,ecological harmony,individual-collective integration,the urgency of global peace,as well as respect for multicultural and indigenous development paths.

Keywords: China’s stories,global identification,cross-cultural communication

Introduction

From the perspective of globalization,the history of humankind is a process in which various ethnic cultures,nations,and countries,to reach out to the global community,have continuously sought cross-cultural exchanges with other societies having different cultural values to cope with cultural conflict and collaboration while going global.Early cultural anthropologists did long-term exploratory research into the issues of value conflict and identity in various cross-cultural changes.Among them were leading scholars such as Lewis H.Morgan,Edward B.Tylor,James G.Frazer,Marcel Mauss,Claude Levi-Strauss,Franz Boas,and Bronislaw K.Malinowski.Thanks to their initial,systematic exploration of fragmented insights into various cultural values,we can get a clearer picture of the shaping of cross-cultural values by civilizations (Matsumoto & Hwang,2013; Oyserman,2007,2009; Shiraev & Levy,2003,pp.5–7; Triandis,1989).

Geert Hofstede pioneered empirical research into the organizational culture of multinational corporations on a global scale in the 1980s.He compared cultures across countries by measuring cultural dimensions,thus promoting communication through a better understanding of cultural differences.Hofstede’s practice has become a pivotal conceptual framework for cultural awareness in international communication.Hofstede famously argued,“The survival of mankind will depend to a large extent on the ability of people who think differently to act together” (Hofstede,2001).The capacity of cross-cultural communication through storytelling has become a focus of attention in the study of global communication (Samovar et al.,2007,pp.293–294; Chen & Chen,2017).It is important to understand the impact of cross-cultural communication from the perspective of sharing at the state,national,or collective levels,rather than just from the traditional perspective of relevant knowledge and communication skills at the individual level (Oyserman,2007,2009; Keats & Wang,2014).After all,the core of crosscultural communication lies in cross-cultural competence,which enables a country’s values to gain extensive recognition in global exchanges so as to reduce and resolve conflicts between countries and regions,and to facilitate mutual learning,mutual acceptance,and sharing of experience between cultures in the process of globalization.The subsequent adoption of the theoretical framework of cross-cultural value dimensions (value orientations) as a way to deal with cross-cultural communication problems faced by countries in global trade,transnational education,cultural exchanges,foreign affairs,overseas migration,and the global collaboration of international organizations in the context of globalization is of great theoretical and practical significance in enhancing the understanding of globalization and development.

In recent years,with the accumulation of data from sample surveys on cross-cultural values,major value dimensions that characterize most countries have been concluded in several diagrams,marking a revolutionary step forward in understanding cultural differences and guiding cross-cultural communication (Schwartz,2004,2007; Soares et al.,2007; Saucier et al.,2015).However,it is true that more corrections are needed to accurately form a complete framework of different cultural dimensions and their trends for countries around the world.Even so,this panoramic view of global values has become a quick,scientific,and effective conceptual tool that helps us understand and observe the rough coordinates of different nations and countries in cultural dimensions.With more frequent use of cultural dimensions as a conceptual tool to guide global path designs for cross-cultural communication,a new frontier in the study of international communication strategies is coming into being.

Telling China’s story well to the world requires developing an internationally identified and shared value dimension framework for the cross-cultural dissemination of such stories.In particular,we should summarize the values (in China’s stories) that gain extensive recognition from countries across the globe during international communication.The summarization,based on our empirical analysis,can help identify entry points and priorities for strengthening China’s international discourse system and the shaping of global narratives for telling China’s stories,thus providing scientific support for China to increase its presence through the international dissemination of its stories.Moreover,the summarization of the Chinese experience in these stories can also offer internationally identified value orientations and important new perspectives on sustainable globalization.Through global sampling for this study,we hope to contribute to global identification with the values embodied in China’s stories by engaging in international communication in cross-cultural value dimensions.

Strategy for Data Gathering

This study was built on major results of empirical research on the measurement of crosscultural values worldwide (Hofstede,2001; Triandis & Gelfand,1998; Leung & Bond,2004;Inglehart & Baker,2000; Schwartz,2004,2007; Smith et al.,2013).Such results were used to form a theoretical framework of operational reference,and a pilot-based interview questionnaire entitled “Measurement of the Cross-Cultural Impact of China’s Stories in Values Dimensions”was designed and used as a scale for data collection (Stefanie,2021; Turner,2023).On this basis,we built a model to measure and analyze the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories in value dimensions (Wang et al.,2022,2003).With the help of the scale,we completed a survey among the overseas populations to collect crucial information on global identification with the values embodied in China’s stories which were told in a global context so that we could assess these values concerning their international communication capacity.The survey featured the etic approach in cross-cultural anthropology to extract information on control variables influencing the international dissemination of China’s stories.

Overseas respondents who could tell or comment on at least one complete thing,event,or story about the social life of Chinese people in ancient or contemporary times (movie,literary work,as well as activities and projects related to politics,economics,science,technology,culture,and education) were included in the analysis as “knowing China’s stories”.We measured the respondents’ identification with the values embodied in China’s stories widely known (ranked in the top 10) mainly in two ways.In the first way,we framed the interview questionnaire in the Hofstede-Schwartz Model (HSM) for value dimension measurement,which highlights seven categorical variables and 40 sub-items commonly used in crosscultural psychology (see Table 1).The seven categorical variables concerning socio-cultural and psychological orientations in the HSM (Saucier et al.,2015; Smith & Schwartz,1997; Schwartz,2004,2007; Stefanie,2021) are recognized by the Western academia as broadly reflecting and representing the dimensional tendencies that characterize human values across cultures and have been widely attested by global data on cross-culture (Triandis & Gelfand,1998; Leung &Bond,2004; Schwartz,2007).In the second way,we encouraged the respondents to share their view of China’s stories in value dimensions by asking them the following open-ended question,“What are the values that you most identify with in China’s stories?” We post-coded and categorized the respondents’ views before conducting our qualitative and quantitative analysis.

Note. [1] To highlight statistically significant variables,we did not list variables of little statistical significance in Model 4.[2] We collected and coded the respondents’ answers to the following open-ended question: “What are the values that you most identify with in China’s stories?”β: standardized (regression) coefficients,also called beta coefficients were reported in this table.Variables of significance (*p < 0.05,**p < 0.01,***p < 0.001); n.s = not significant.

Table 1 Regression Analysis of Factors Influencing the International Dissemination of China’s Stories (n = 6130)

The survey featured a cross-sectional design for cluster sampling of respondents by class and activity group,and also for snowball sampling of respondents by social network.A total of 6,130 qualified respondents who were college students or graduates from 107 countries were included in the statistical analysis.It is noteworthy that among the respondents were a few Chinese who were born abroad or who were born in China but later emigrated abroad in childhood.As they grew up overseas,they still fell into the sample group of their country of residence in this study.The overall value of Cronbach’s alpha (a reliability coefficient) for all value dimensions as categorical variables and sub-items in the questionnaire was 0.81,and the statistical value of the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) test for construct validity was 0.810 (Bartlett(c2) = 67.322,p < 0.001).The results indicate that the survey scale design and the interrelations between question types were highly reliable and valid.Regarding the reliability and validity of the interview questionnaire,there are detailed introductions and extensive discussions in relevant published literature (Stefanie,2021; Wang et al.,2022,2023; Turner,2023).

Research Findings

Table 1 shows the results of our nested regression analysis of data regarding the correlation between the variables.We brought all the data into the generated regression model for test and analysis.The results offer empirical insights into how global identification with cultural values can influence the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories.

As can be seen in Model 1,for “socio-demographic characteristics” as a variable type,the significant positive correlation indicates that the respondents were more inclined to make positive comments on the values embodied in China’s stories as their level of education rose.The level of education could be used as an independent factor to estimate 27.48 percent of the total variance of the impact rating of the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories by the respondents from different countries.This trend was even more pronounced among the respondents from traditional value-oriented developing countries and regions.

In Model 2,we retained the two variable types of “socio-demographic characteristics” and“characteristics of regional culture” while adding a new type concerning the values embodied in China’s stories the respondents identified with.According to the results,for “globally identified values embodied in China’s stories” as a variable type,except for the variable of“significance of traditional authority” only slightly emphasized,five value dimensions (i.e.,the other five variables) were statistically significant in enhancing the impact rating of the crosscultural dissemination of China’s stories.The five value dimensions synergistically estimated 36.72 percent of the total variance of such impact rating at the 1 percent level of significance,and the total variance’s explanatory power was much higher than that of Model 1,namely the combination of “socio-demographic characteristics” and “characteristics of regional culture”(27.48 percent).

In Model 3,we added the aforementioned HSM’s seven dimensions of cross-cultural values,and at the same time put into the model the values that were embodied in China’s stories and widely identified by the respondents,as well as other control variables related to storytelling.The results show that the estimated impact rating of the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories by the respondents rose to 44.82 percent of the total variance.Of the seven cross-cultural value dimensions as variables,the majority (four dimensions) featured a significant positive correlation,two (hierarchy of power and social cynicism) were statistically insignificant,and one (dependence) featured a weak negative correlation.

To generate Model 4,we used the backward elimination method to remove variables not statistically significant at the 10 percent level of significance.In this generated model,17 positively correlated variables as control variables synergistically estimated the impact rating of the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories by the respondents rose to 82.72 percent of the total variance.Thus,regardless of their countries or regions,the respondents tended to be informed by friends,family,relatives,peers,self-media,and some traditional media.To some extent,the respondents affirmed that some HSM dimensions,such as humanitarianism(β = 0.751***),individualism (β = 0.431***),collectivism (β = 0.407***,and independence (β= 0.402***) had a certain impacts on the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories.Even so,judging from the increasingly prominent trend of the variables contributing to increasing the impact rating of the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories,five were the most statistically significant control variables with correlation coefficients of 0.8 or above.The five control variables,all of which were included in the type of “globally identified values embodied in China’s stories” are: closing the gap between rich and poor for common prosperity(β=0.824***),ecological harmony (β = 0.817***),urgency of global peace (β = 0.810***),individual-collective integration (β = 0.803***),and respect for multicultural and indigenous development paths (β = 0.801***).The significance of traditional authority,however,was no more than a slight trend (β = 0.146*).That is to say,the results of this empirical analysis underscore that the five values the respondents widely identified with the respondents should be at the core of the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories.

New Perspectives on Understanding Cross-Cultural Communication in Value Dimensions

Based on the above regression analysis,we offer the following dynamic perspectives to help further explore the cross-cultural dissemination of China’s stories in value dimensions.

First,the results of this study indicate that regional culture and socio-demographic context as variables are undergoing a decline in significance to cross-cultural communication.The traditional pattern of cross-cultural communication,in which values shaped by different regional cultures are cut off from each other and even in conflict with each other,has witnessed a fundamental change against the backdrop of globalization.The world has entered an era in which multiculturalism and globalism are widely shared and co-existent.The two variable types,“characteristics of regional culture” and “socio-demographic characteristics” have been pushed to the margins of the framework of factors contributing to cross-cultural communication.

Early cultural anthropologists,from Edward B.Tylor,James G.Frazer,and Marcel Mauss,to Franz Boas and Bronislaw.K.Malinowski,had one thing in common,that is,their emphasis on the dominance of regional culture and socio-demographics in cross-cultural communication.Humanistic values that are regarded as universal,such as benevolence,goodwill,equality,freedom,and humanitarianism were often expressed only as compromises or hybrids of local cultural values,such as traditional customs and views,senses of hierarchy and authority,and relations in the established context (Oyserman,2007).Data from Hofstede’s larger crosscultural comparative study further underpins the traditional cultural anthropological view that differences in value dimensions form a social construct of regional cultural traditions.According to Hofstede,the so-called cross-cultural competence is primarily about the enhancement of our ability to understand,accept,and identify with the diverse value dimensions at the corresponding historical stage (Hofstede,2001,p.76).Such a view has gained further support from discussions on regional culture based on historical ecology and environmental determinism (Diamond,2017).

However,further globalization has given rise to a new problem that concerns cross-cultural scholars.More specifically,although we can promote understanding and acceptance of a wide range of differences in value dimensions by improving knowledge,attitudes,perceptions,skills,empathy,and experience,we will not be able to gain a true understanding of how people with different cultural backgrounds can reach a global consensus on political will and progress through cross-cultural communication if we ignore the cross-cultural impact,or ignore the constant,fundamental modification,upgrading,and reshaping of value dimensions (geopolitical,historical,and socio-demographic characteristics) (Keats & Wang,2012).The traditional emphasis on the perspective of region-specific cross-cultural identity is gradually shifting to the growing global path of multicultural identity.Traditional cultures at the state level are increasingly diverse and global (Oyserman,2007,p.441; Brooks,2005).As Franz Boas said long ago,globalization has made any regional culture cease to be a separate expression of its locality and become more and more a product of the combination of various regional cultural patterns in relation to each other.Thus,globalization determines how we view ourselves and others and our ability to learn to tell and present ourselves through the lens of others (Boas,1937; Boyd & Richerson,1985).Table 1,which is based on our global sample survey,shows that two variable types (i.e.,“characteristics of regional culture” and “socio-demographic characteristics”) in Model 1 and Model 2 only yielded a relatively low level of estimation (36.72 percent of the total variance) in the impact rating of the cross-cultural storytelling.Such a low estimation empirically indicates a fundamental change in the status of regional and socio-demographic characteristics in the data analysis.In early anthropological field research and Hofstede’s research,the two variable types were used as core variables influencing cross-cultural communication.Given that,we need to go beyond the traditional perspectives of sociology and cultural anthropology to seek new insights and perspectives based on the dynamics of globalization itself in order to better understand the key drivers of cross-cultural communication.

Second,this study also further unveils the challenges facing the humanism-based system for cross-cultural measurement and awareness.One major achievement of the Enlightenment,a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries,was the development of a way of looking at the world from the humanistic perspective.More specifically,this movement enabled human civilizations to replace early religious interpretations through deity worship with cultural interpretations rooted in humanism whose fundamental concern was human nature.In turn,there were cultural explanations of humanistic values (collectivism,individualism,traditional norms,types of authority,humanitarianism,etc.) from the perspectives of humanities and social sciences.In the contemporary West,global multiculturalism,an assumption about human nature,was measured in the spirit of humanism in cross-cultural psychology,anthropology,sociology,and communication thus forming an atlas of cultural values featuring more than 50 cultural value dimensions in 10 value types worldwide (Samovar et al.,2007,p.130; Shiraev& Levy,2003,pp.188–190; Smith et al.,2013,pp.45–60).From the Western perspectives of evolutionism,functionalism,and structuralism,the atlas includes highlights of cultural traditions (individualism or collectivism,recognition of power distance,reverence for authority,etc.),and varied cultural value orientations (piety,loyalty,justice,righteousness,independence,humanitarianism,Confucianism,cynicism,etc.).Such diversity of cultural value orientations is a manifestation of different ethnic groups’ adaptation to ecological and historical complexity for survival (Smith et al.,2013).It is fair to say that most of the value dimensions currently covered in Western cross-cultural studies are conceptual expressions of the humanistic values which were properly founded on human nature back in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.In other words,the measurement of human civilizations in Western academia relies solely on one established perspective,that is,humanism,which has been passed down from the Enlightenment to highlight the brilliance of human civilizations.

However,the results of our regression analysis in Model 3 tell a different story about the value measurement.When it comes to the impact rating of cross-cultural storytelling in value dimensions,the HSM value dimensions’ level of estimation and explanation failed to top the list (only 54.82 percent of the total variance),holding all other categorical variables constant.It means the Western framework,which contains humanistic values such as individualism,collectivism,hierarchy of power,dependence,independence,humanitarianism,and cynicism,begins to expose its limitations on interpreting and measuring cross-cultural communication and storytelling against the backdrop of globalization.Or rather,for humanistic value dimensions,their power to explain the common aspirations of human beings is declining in the new era of globalization.It also means that there are new value dimensions worth revealing,as they can better express our vision of globalization and gain wider recognition than humanism,a Western philosophy developed during the Renaissance and the Enlightenment.

Third,our empirical data proves that China’s stories which are told in a global context contain values widely identified with by people overseas.The results of the nested regression analysis in Model 4 show that the 17 positively correlated variables registered the highest level of estimation and explanation (82.72 percent of the total variance) in the impact rating of crosscultural storytelling.Variables with positive correlation coefficients above 0.8 were included in the type of “globally identified values embodied in China’s stories” (see Table 1).Such values are as follows: closing the gap between rich and poor for common prosperity,emphasizing ecological harmony,highlighting the urgency of global peace,advocating individual-collective integration,and respecting multicultural and indigenous development paths These five values received particular attention and high acclaim in the dissemination of China’s stories overseas,and they were seen by the respondents from 107 countries as values key to reaching a global consensus on sustainable globalization and a community with a shared future for mankind.Thus,the five values transcend the Hofstede-Schwartz cross-cultural perspective and model,which relies on humanism for the measurement and interpretation of the world.At the very beginning of his exploration of cross-cultural value dimensions,Hofstede argued that the distribution of value dimensions across cultures worldwide was a dynamically changing picture.As globalization progresses,the schema that highlights the differences between cultures will be gradually replaced by a vision that reflects the global identity and common pursuit as a result of extensive cross-cultural exchanges (Hofstede,2001,p.107,2011).Also as is stressed by historical ecology,the ever-expanding cross-cultural living environment shapes the human minds to enable culturally diverse communities,countries,and societies to make ecologically appropriate choices of broadly shared that fit in with globalization (Diamond,2017).There is a summary of the respondents’ comments in the qualitative analysis of this study.Below is an excerpt: Although we live in different parts of the world and have different cultural values,we have read China’s stories concerning almost everything about China,from Hua Mulan to Kung Fu Panda,from the critical battle against poverty and common prosperity to the Belt and Road initiative,foreign aid,and major country diplomacy in assuming the international responsibility for safeguarding global ecology and world peace; and from the respect for cultural diversity and the achievement of fairness and justice to the global view of a community with a shared future for mankind.These stories truly reflect a common vision for the future of humankind in the context of globalization (Turner,2023,p.19; Stefanie,2021; Wang et al.,2023).

Conclusion

This study,which was enabled by global sampling,shows that as globalization progresses,the Western model of cross-cultural measurement in humanistic value dimensions,which has been used to perceive the cultural development schema,is now challenged in terms of explanatory power.By contrast,the values embodied in traditional Chinese culture and today’s modernization with Chinese characteristics have become experienced in addressing issues arising from localization and globalization and are increasingly identified with by people around the world in cross-cultural communication.In conclusion,our research findings indicate that the widely identified values embodied in China’s stories in the context of globalization are growing into a representative value framework for a better understanding of our common vision for the future of humankind,and will become principal cross-cultural value orientations followed by all countries to work together to address global challenges.