Chinese culture to go global on the gaming front

MENG Xianming shares the dream of introducing Chinese culture to the outside world, but he has a special audience in mind: gamers.

His ideas include not just sword masters or ancient shamans, but also eastern style storytelling, romance, and music, all of which figure prominently in his company’s role-playing games that have gained a sizable following among young Chinese.

A member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the country’s top political advisory body, Meng is the founder of Wangyuan Shengtang, whose magnum opus Gu Jian has sold over 2 million units since it was released in 2010.

Based on the success in the domestic market, he aspires to go global.

“I want to make my games a carrier of Chinese culture, which touch hearts both in and outside China,” he said, adding the country’s efforts in developing the cultural sector has boosted his ambition to take the world by storm.

Meng was among the over 2,100 political advisers attending the first session of the 13th National Committee of the CPPCC in Beijing.

According to a government work report delivered by Premier Li Keqiang on Monday, China’s cultural industry has grown by more than 13 percent annually over the past five years. The report also stressed the importance of keeping fine traditional Chinese culture alive and thriving, and vowed to foster and promote new cultural businesses.

“Games can be a way to carry forward the traditional culture and values, a fun way to do so,” Meng said, adding that most gamers are aged between 15 to 25.

He believes that Chinese video games usually stand out for their wonderful storytelling and rich cultural connotations, compared with those of western developers which place more emphasis on gameplay.