Research Article

Analysis of Short Video Communication Mode of City Image under Cross-cultural Threshold: Taking Chengdu on Tiktok as an Example

Zikun LiuCommunication University of China*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

Cities are carriers of culture, and the process of shaping and disseminating city image is also the process of exporting Chinese culture to foreign countries and attracting audiences. TikTok, as an overseas short-video sharing platform with the characteristics of fragmentation, interactivity, and fast dissemination, has attracted widespread attention from overseas audiences for its short videos about Chinese city image and culture, which has become an important channel for cross-cultural communication. This paper takes the international image shaping and dissemination model of the popular Chinese city Chengdu on TikTok as the research object and uses the 5W model and the “encoding decoding” theory as the theoretical basis to explore the strategies and effects of Chinese city image and culture dissemination on TikTok from a cross-cultural perspective. The study shows that Chengdu’s communication on TikTok is characterized by self-media as the major communication body, young travelers as the target audience, the use of “city branding” and “other shaping perspectives” as the content communication strategy, and the use of emotional resonance and cultural interactions to enhance the appeal and communication effect of the city, which provides some references and guidance to China’s external communication of its city image.

Keywords: TikTok; city imagery; cultural symbolism; cross-cultural communication
Published: December 7, 2023
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/18/20231132
Volume: CHR Vol.18
pp. 102-107
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