The Forum on Building up China's Cultural Strength 2026 was held on Thursday in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Across both the main forum and sub-forums, one shared topic sparked lively discussion: why did Dear You become such a phenomenon? A distinctly internet-savvy remark put it bluntly: "A low-budget film full of real human presence and the warmth of everyday life - that's exactly why it went viral."

Illustration: Liu Xiangya/GT

Whether at the main forum or the side events, speakers ultimately arrived at a consensus: works rooted in warm realism will always be seen, recognized, and embraced. The genuine warmth of human life is, in the age of AI, the rarest - and most deeply moving - force.

The popularity of this film is itself symbolic. It shows that cultural works capable of truly touching people's hearts do not necessarily rely on major stars, massive productions, or huge investments, nor on flashy packaging and noisy marketing. What matters is sincerity, warmth, and emotional authenticity. At a time when AI technology is rapidly evolving and communication landscapes are undergoing profound transformation, the value of cultural works that resonate emotionally goes far beyond box office numbers. From the perspective of national strategy, this film is not only a vivid display of the Chinese spirit and the richness of Chinese culture, but also a successful example of "telling China's story well."

Culture is a county's deepest strategic capability. It is the firm foundation that enables a nation to remain grounded amid great global changes, define themselves, and influence the world. This high-level forum in Shenzhen once again brought the strategic significance of culture to the forefront. Future competition among major powers will not be determined solely by hard power such as chips, military technology, finance, or industrial chains. It will also depend on who can clearly explain their own path, shape their own civilizational image, and make the world willing to listen, remember, and identify with them.

Ultimately, whoever masters culture possesses the confidence to define the future.

For a long time, the West's strength came not only from military power, capital, and technological leadership, but also from its long-standing dominance over global narratives. It exported not only goods, but also values; it shaped not only international rules, but also global perceptions; it influenced not only lifestyles, but also ways of thinking. At its core, this was cultural competitiveness.

Today, however, China has entered a new stage. We are no longer merely catching up, nor do we need to look up to the West. Instead, China must offer its own wisdom to the world and build its own cultural narrative. In advancing Chinese modernization, we still need to answer a deeper question: how can a rising China earn genuine understanding and respect from the world? The answer cannot lie solely in economic scale, nor merely in high-speed rail, 5G, or artificial intelligence. Without cultural subjectivity and the capacity to engage in dialogue with the world, even the greatest material achievements may still be arbitrarily interpreted, defined, or even deliberately stigmatized by others.

"To engage the world through culture" is a strategic judgment.

"Dialogue" means not talking only to ourselves, but approaching communication with openness and inclusiveness — telling our history, reality, and future in ways the world is willing to hear, able to empathize with, and capable of understanding. That is true cultural confidence for a major country.

A civilization with a strong sense of identity will naturally tell its own stories vividly on the global stage. China's long, profound, vibrant, and ever-evolving culture is our greatest source of confidence in telling China's story well. What we must think about is how to give traditional culture contemporary expression, how to communicate our values internationally, and how to provide cultural support for technological development.

The more technology advances, the more important culture becomes. To take the initiative and stand at the forefront in the AI era requires not only technological leadership, but also value systems, aesthetic judgment, and spiritual depth. Technology can amplify voices, but culture determines whether those voices carry weight. Algorithms can accelerate dissemination, but genuine emotional warmth still determines whether content can penetrate the human heart.

The popularity of Dear You proves precisely this point. No matter how media evolves or technology advances, what people ultimately need are expressions that reflect life, comfort the soul, and awaken emotional resonance. The more we live in an era of information overload, fragmented emotions, and machine-generated content, the more we need works grounded in genuine feelings, authentic experiences, and real human warmth.

Future competition among major powers will also be competition in culture. Building China into a cultural powerhouse is a question every one of us must answer. We must learn to engage the world through culture, tell China's story well, and convey the warmth of China that speaks most deeply to the hearts of this era.

(Source: Global Times)