Cultural products boost understanding

Video games, films and science fiction provide surprising bridges of understanding between China and the West, academics say, reports Yang Feiyue in Wuyishan, Fujian.

In a world where globalization is increasingly under threat and nationalism is on the rise, emeritus professor Robert Chard from the University of Oxford, recently offered a refreshing perspective "Cool China" to address the issue.

With decades of experience as a Sinologist, Chard, who is also a visiting professor at the Peking University's Department of History, highlights the growing disconnection between Western and Chinese cultures, while pointing to unexpected bridges — like video games, films and science fiction — that are reshaping how the world sees China.

"The (distrust) problem mostly stems from many Western countries not having enough understanding of other cultures," Chard observes.