What is the relation between culture and globalization?ZHANG WENFEI

When we talk about globalization, what usually comes to mind are economics, trade, and technology. Yet beyond these tangible flows, the fastest and most profound force moving across borders is often culture. A K-pop song, a Hollywood film, or a Japanese anime can instantly cross continents and touch hearts on the other side of the world.

So, what is the relationship between culture and globalization?Is it a process of cultural homogenization—an “Americanization” of the world?Or is it a grand symphony composed by diverse civilizations in harmony?

In truth, the reality is far more intricate. Globalization is not a one-way transmission of culture but a dynamic dance of fusion, reconstruction, and resistance. Within this dance, China and Japan offer two particularly illuminating case studies.

I. The Cultural Spectrum of Globalization

To understand the relationship between globalization and culture, we can imagine it as a spectrum:

• Fusion – Different cultures borrow and absorb from one another, forming hybrid identities where boundaries blur.

• Reconstruction – Local cultures are repackaged and commodified by global capital, acquiring new meanings and forms as they circulate.

• Resistance – Faced with foreign cultural influences, local traditions reassert their uniqueness, reinforcing internal identity and pride.

Japan and China, in this context, stand at different yet interwoven positions along this spectrum.

II. Japan: From Learner to Trendsetter

Japan’s story represents a successful cultural comeback in the tide of globalization.

1. Humble Fusion: The Wisdom of “Wayo Secchū”

From the Meiji Restoration to the postwar era, Japan was an eager cultural learner. It absorbed Western technology, institutions, and lifestyles—but never through blind imitation. Instead, Japan embraced a philosophy known as “Wayo Secchū” (a harmonious blend of Japanese and Western elements), creatively integrating the foreign with the native.

For example, Western-style uniforms were reinterpreted through Japanese aesthetics to form the iconic school attire; Christmas was transformed into a romantic holiday for couples rather than a religious celebration.

2. Active Export: The Success of “Cool Japan”

With economic rise came a wave of cultural export. Anime, manga, video games, J-dramas, and J-pop became the vanguard of Japan’s soft power.

• Case in point: Hayao Miyazaki’s animations, with their universal themes of environmentalism and anti-war reflection, moved audiences worldwide. “Pokémon” and “Super Mario” evolved into global cultural icons. Sushi became the ultimate symbol of cultural globalization—its local reinvention, the “California roll,” perfectly embodies cross-cultural creativity.

• Government initiative: Recognizing culture as strategic capital, the Japanese government launched the “Cool Japan” campaign to systematically promote its cuisine, design, and creative industries, turning cultural appeal into tangible economic and diplomatic power.

Japan’s model shows that globalization can be harnessed proactively. By creatively repackaging and globalizing local culture, a nation not only gains economic advantage but also strengthens cultural pride and identity.

III. China: Seeking Balance Between Openness and Confidence

As both an ancient civilization and an emerging global power, China’s interaction with globalization embodies a delicate tension between openness and self-assertion.

1. Influx and Localization: The “Chinese Adaptation” of Global Brands

Since the Reform and Opening-Up era, global culture has poured into China. Fast-food chains, Hollywood films, and Western consumer trends rapidly captured the market. Yet to truly survive and thrive, these global giants had to undergo deep localization.

• Example: KFC in China sells Old Beijing chicken rolls, fried dough sticks, and even congee for breakfast—far from its Western origins. Meanwhile, Western “Black Friday” evolved into “Double 11” (Singles’ Day) under Alibaba’s influence, transforming into the world’s largest online shopping festival, infused with uniquely Chinese humor and consumer energy.

2. Resistance and Confidence: The Revival of Tradition

Amid the flood of global cultural imports, a strong sense of cultural confidence has taken root in China. In recent years, reviving traditional culture has become a powerful social movement.

• Example: The Hanfu Movement. Increasingly, young Chinese people wear traditional Han-style clothing in everyday life—not merely as a fashion statement but as a declaration of identity. It reflects a deeper yearning for cultural roots and a renewed sense of national belonging in the age of globalization.

China’s experience reveals that globalization does not simply erode local traditions—it can also awaken cultural self-awareness and creative resistance. The process is not one of conquest, but of ongoing dialogue and negotiation between the global and the local.

IV. Conclusion: A Never-Ending Dance

The cases of China and Japan illustrate that the relationship between culture and globalization is far from binary. It is neither domination nor isolation, but an evolving interplay of adaptation and creativity.

• It is a “remix” revolution: Culture continually borrows, blends, and reinvents itself across borders—manifesting in phenomena like Japanese-style Western cuisine or Chinese-style Christmas celebrations.

• It is an act of identity reconstruction: Through globalization’s mirror, nations rediscover who they are. Japan refines its mono no aware aesthetic; China revives its traditional dress and philosophies to reaffirm its place in the world.

• It is a pursuit of dynamic balance: No culture can remain sealed off, and none will vanish entirely. Instead, they adjust, adapt, and evolve in constant motion.

Ultimately, globalization has not made the world monotonous. On the contrary, it has turned it into a vibrant cultural garden, where diverse flowers bloom in coexistence—each reflecting and enriching the others. In this ever-evolving landscape, we are not only the observers of cultural transformation, but also its co-authors, shaping the very story of our shared global civilization.