The rest of the world is the one thing that gives me hope in this regard, really.

It feels like year by year, Asia, even China, is becoming more and more culturally relevant. Western media is just too damn stagnant.

Hollywood used to be known as possibly the most important cultural powerhouse history has seen. It might still be that, but it certainly doesn't feel like it anymore.

Or maybe I'm just getting old.

▲ actionfromafar 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

China rising should not comfort anyone except Xi. They are all about raw power.

▲ wooger 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Based on what culture exactly? Can you name a single Chinese worldwide hit movie or TV show from the last 12 months?

I can think of only Korean Squid Game and a few Japanese anime shows that are somewhat successful.

Do Chinese movies even get distributed into places like India, Africa, South America as US produced stuff does?

▲ defrost 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Ne Zha 2 was huge.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_Zha_2

  Like its predecessor, the film received highly positive reviews from critics, and achieved even greater commercial success at a gross of $2.2 billion worldwide against a production budget of US$80 million.

  Ne Zha 2 broke numerous box office records inside and outside China, including becoming the highest-grossing film in a single box office territory, the highest-grossing animated film, being the first adult animated film in this position, the highest-grossing non-English language film and the first animated film in history to cross the $2 billion mark, as well as being the highest-selling animated film based on ticket sales.

  It also ranks as the highest-grossing film of 2025 and the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time.

and that immediately sprang to mind for a 60+ Australian english speaking mathematician / geophysicist not of asian descent. No Google / Bing / AI required.

Having grandchildren made it hard to avoid.

As for China in Africa:

  Global power dynamics in Africa are shifting, with China eclipsing the influence of the US and France. China has become Africa’s single largest trading partner.

is true, but has been overstated by some to raise fear of Red Menace.

Source: https://theconversation.com/maps-showing-chinas-growing-infl...

FWiW China has been a significant employer of US mercs in Africa.

eg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontier_Services_Group

▲ JumpCrisscross 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> year by year, Asia, even China, is becoming more and more culturally relevant

And powerful export sectors.