That was the central takeaway from a lecture delivered on July 29 by Professor Di Zhang, Executive Dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China.
Speaking to an audience in Beijing, Professor Zhang presented findings from a comprehensive global survey examining international perceptions of Chinese culture, technological advancements, and national identity.
 High Interest, Persistent Prejudices
According to the survey data presented, roughly 78% to 80% of global respondents find Chinese culture attractive and hold a positive view of traditional elements. Interest spans multiple dimensions, with traditional culture, lifestyle, and popular culture all scoring high recognition.
However, Zhang noted a persistent gap: more than half of respondents admit they lack a deep, substantive understanding of Chinese culture. This superficial familiarity, he argued, feeds into historical stereotypes.
Drawing on Edward Said’s foundational 1978 theory of Orientalism alongside later critiques of self-Orientalism by scholars like Arif Dirlik and Koichi Iwabuchi—Zhang explained how the West historically constructed the "Orient" as exotic, timeless, static, and spiritual, denying it coevalness in the modern world.
Crucially, Zhang pointed out that China often participates in its own pigeonholing. "Self-Orientalism supplies the content that fits the external frame: walls, pandas, silk, calligraphy, five thousand years," the lecture notes emphasized. By leading primarily with antiquity, cultural diplomacy risks optimizing for mere recognition while forfeiting genuine persuasion.
The Power of Modern Artifacts
The survey data starkly illustrates the limitations of an antiquity-first strategy. When researchers ran correlational analyses across different countries, the results were definitive:
 Modern Artifacts Drive Favorability: Associations between China and modern cultural items (such as technological innovations, consumer electronics, and electric vehicles) consistently showed a positive correlation with overall favorability toward the country.
 Traditional Artifacts Fall Short: Conversely, associations heavily anchored in traditional items (like the Great Wall or pandas) showed little to no positive predictive power regarding favorability, and in many instances skewed negative.
When international respondents think of "Made in China," value and price advantage top the list, closely followed by technological innovation, economic development, engineering and manufacturing capabilities, and speed. Traditional symbols like the Great Wall and pandas evoke notions of long history and cuteness, but they do little to foster modern geopolitical trust or comprehensive economic appreciation.
Core Values and Relational Personhood
Moving beyond material artifacts, Zhang emphasized that culture is equally defined by deep-seated values. For Chinese society, these values offer profound contemporary relevance:
Relational Personhood & Harmony Without Uniformity: Recognizing that global societies operate in diverse climates and geographic realities, Zhang argued for mutual understanding rather than forced uniformity.
The Tianxia Concept: Describing "all under heaven," this philosophy suggests a world ordered by cultural participation rather than rigid borders.
Coexistence with Nature: Reflecting an intrinsic link where human and natural environments mingle and coexist.
Self-Cultivation: The foundational belief that individuals are perpetually improvable through effort, learning, and making sense of a changing world.