An Analysis of Overseas Marketing Strategies for Chinese Cultural

Films: The Last Emperor and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as

Examples

Yingrui Ma

College of Communication Sciences and Arts/Radio and Television Choreography and Direction, Chengdu University of

Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China

Keywords: Chinese Cultural Films, Overseas Film Marketing, Cross-Cultural Marketing Introduction.

Abstract: Movies, being a vital vehicle for cultural exchange, hold sway in international cultural interactions. In recent

years, the Chinese film industry has chalked up remarkable achievements in the domestic market, with the

number of films and box-office takings on the continuous rise. Nevertheless, when cast eyes on the

international stage, there's still a yawning chasm in influence when pitted against international film behemoths

like Hollywood. The question of how to make Chinese films shine in the international market and boost their

global competitiveness has become a pressing issue that the film industry must address post-haste. Among

the multitude of Chinese films venturing into the international market, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and

The Last Emperor are two iconic works. They've reaped remarkable international rewards, garnering

widespread acclaim and substantial box-office earnings, offering invaluable experience for Chinese cultural

films aiming to go global.

1 INTRODUCTION

This research zeroes in on the overseas marketing

strategies of Chinese cultural films, taking Crouching

Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Last Emperor, two

films enjoying high popularity and influence abroad,

as prime examples for in-depth scrutiny. These two

films embody the accomplishments of Chinese

cultural films in overseas dissemination across

different eras, encompassing diverse themes and

cultural manifestations. Studying them can yield

copious and representative insights and lessons for

the overseas marketing of Chinese cultural films. In

previous research, scholars have probed into the

overseas marketing of films from various angles.

Some studies have hosted on the dissemination of

film cultural elements, analyzing their functions in

cross-cultural communication (Liao, 2024). Others

focused on film marketing channels and tactics,

exploring ways to enhance the promotional impact of

films in the international market (Jia, 2024).

However, there remains a dearth of systematic and

in-depth research on the overseas marketing

strategies of Chinese cultural films, especially those

integrating specific data for quantitative analysis.

This article will employ literature analysis to sum up

measures to mitigate cultural discount. It will also

utilize data analysis techniques, selecting multiple

indicators such as the correlation between box-office

figures and the number of countries of release, the

disparity between Chinese and foreign ratings,

cultural dissemination potency (the duration of

Chinese elements in the film), and film festival

nominations. Data will be gathered via professional

data platforms like Box Office Mojo and then

organized and analyzed.

Subsequently, this article will thoroughly discuss

the hardships and challenges confronted by Chinese

cultural films during the process of overseas

marketing and analyze the key components of

successful marketing. Finally, it will summarize the

research findings, propose improvement suggestions,

and look forward to the future development of the

overseas marketing of Chinese cultural films.

394

Ma, Y.

An Analysis of Overseas Marketing Strategies for Chinese Cultural Films: The Last Emperor and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as Examples.

DOI: 10.5220/0013992200004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 394-400

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

2 DATA ANALYSIS

2.1 Indicator Explanation

The film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is

characterized by the photography and visual

performance of the Chinese-speaking team and its

original soundtrack. In 2001, it won several awards,

including the Best Foreign Language Film, Best

Cinematography, Best Screenplay, and Best Original

Score at the Oscars. It also won the Best Foreign

Language Film, Best Director, and Best Original

Score at the Golden Globe Awards. The film achieved

box-office success in many regions around the world,

such as the United States, northwestern Europe,

Australia, and Taiwan. Its global box - office reached

$213 million, and its box - office in the United States

was $128 million. As shown in figure 1, in terms of

ratings, the film has an IMDb rating of 7.9 (with

287,000 raters) and a Douban rating of 8.4 (with

500,000 raters), reflecting a high level of recognition

from international audiences. In addition, as shown in

figure.2, the total duration of Crouching Tiger,

Hidden Dragon is 120 minutes, with classical music

accounting for 17.5% (21 minutes), martial arts

scenes accounting for 20.8% (25 minutes), and

Chinese classical cultural symbols accounting for

42.5% (51 minutes).

The film The Last Emperor benefits from the

photography skills of the Italian director, the visual

performance of the Chinese-speaking team in

costume and art design, and the auditory performance

of the Japanese team in music. In 1988, it won eight

Oscars, including Best Director, Best

Cinematography, and Best Art Direction. It also won

the Best Director and Best Original Score at the

Golden Globe Awards. This film was mainly released

exclusively in the United States and re - released in

Europe for film festivals. Its global box-office was

$43.99 million, and its box -office in the United States

was $43.98 million. The film has an IMDb rating of

7.7 (with 115,000 raters) and a Douban rating of 9.3

(with 970,000 raters), indicating a higher level of

discussion among domestic audiences. In addition, as

shown in figure.3,the total duration of the US -

released version of this film is 163 minutes, with the

symbols of oriental imperial power accounting for

about 18.4% (30 minutes), Manchu - style clothing

accounting for about 21.5% (35 minutes), color

imagery accounting for about 30.7% (50 minutes),

and traditional music and Peking Opera accounting

for about 12.3% (20 minutes). Both films incorporate

a large number of Chinese cultural elements, but with

different emphases. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

focuses more on elements such as martial arts and

classical cultural symbols, while The Last Emperor

emphasizes the symbols of oriental imperial power,

clothing, and color imagery.

Alt Text for the figure: This picture reflects the Douban score and IMBD score of Crouching Tiger, Hidden

Dragon and The Last Emperor.

Figure 1. Chinese and foreign website ratings.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon The Last Emperor

Chinese and foreign website ratings

Douban rating IMBD rating

An Analysis of Overseas Marketing Strategies for Chinese Cultural Films: The Last Emperor and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as

Examples

395

Alt Text for the figure: The figure shows the proportion of China elements in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

movies, including classical music, martial arts scenes, China classical cultural symbols and other elements.

Figure 2. The Proportion of Eastern Elements in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Alt Text for the figure: The picture shows the proportion of cultural elements in China, the film of the last emperor,

including symbols of oriental imperial power, satisfying costumes, color images, traditional music and Peking

Opera elements.

Figure 3. The Proportion of Eastern Elements' Duration in The Last Emperor.

Classical Music

17%

Martial Arts

Clip

21%

Classical

Chinese

Cultural …

Others

19%

Crouching Tiger,

Hidden dragon

Oriental

symbols of

imperial power

18%

Manchu Qing

Dynasty flag

dress

22%

Color Imagery

(Red, Bright

Yellow)

31%

Traditional

Music and

Beijing Opera

12%

Others

17%

The Last Emperor

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2.2 Data Graph Analysis

The Cultural Discount Index is a tool used to gauge

the extent of cultural barriers that crop up when a

cultural product or service is disseminated across

national borders (Shen et al., 2022). P-local

represents the average price or level of popularity in

the local market, and P-foreign stands for the

corresponding metric in the international market.

The difference between these two indicators,

divided by P-local, represents the cultural discount

index. A larger CDI value means a higher cultural

discount. In plain English, this implies that due to

cultural disparities in the international market, the

acceptance of the cultural product takes a nosedive.

On the flip side, a smaller CDI value translates to a

lower cultural discount. In real-world scenarios,

“popularity” isn't just a one-dimensional concept; it's

reflected through a whole host of data. Popularity can

be measured by box office takings, the number of

people flocking to the theaters, and ratings. For

instance, in this document, for movies like Crouching

Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Last Emperor, data

from platforms like IMDb and Douban ratings are

used to get a sense of their popularity in different

markets. This, in turn, serves as a useful reference for

analyzing the Cultural Discount Index. However,

relying solely on ratings to measure the Cultural

Discount Index is like trying to see the whole picture

with one eye closed. It's not comprehensive enough.

To accurately assess how much cultural products

are affected by cultural differences in the

international market, this paper considers data on box

office revenues, movie attendance, and other relevant

aspects. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon has a

cultural discount index of 6%, while The Last

Emperor has an 18% index. The lower cultural

discount index of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

shows that its cultural elements are a hit in the

international market. The Chinese cultural elements

in the movie can easily cut through cultural

differences and be grasped and embraced by overseas

audiences. On the contrary, The Last Emperor has a

higher Cultural Discount Index. This might be

because some parts of the film, like the oriental court

plot viewed from a sexual voyeurism angle, pique the

curiosity of Western audiences but also create a bit of

a rift with local culture. As a result, the overall

acceptance of the cultural elements in the movie takes

a hit.

When looking at the Cultural Discount Index and

box -office figures, the way cultural elements are

presented in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon might

be better for cultural spread and market approval. It

showcases elements like martial arts and classical

cultural symbols, which jibe with the top-ranking

keywords “female heroes” and “martial arts”. This

hits the nail on the head when it comes to meeting the

international audience's fancy and expectations for

Chinese martial arts culture. On the flip side, some of

the debatable plots in The Last Emperor may, to a

certain degree, put a damper on its cultural

dissemination. Even though it has a wide array of

cultural elements, its uptake in the international

market is relatively lackluster. This chart makes it

crystal clear that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Zeroes in more on martial arts and classical cultural

symbols, like bamboo. Meanwhile, The Last Emperor

centers around oriental symbols of imperial power, as

well as clothing and color imagery.

3 MEASURES TO REDUCE

CULTURAL DISCOUNTS

First off, films ought to establish a star brand. Take

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" for example. It

featured well-known Chinese -speaking stars such as

Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi.

These stars already had a fair amount of popularity

and a solid fan base not just in Asia but also in some

corners of the world.

Since audiences were big fans of these stars and

held them in high regard, they were more likely to

shell out money to see the movie at the theater. This,

to a certain degree, smoothed out the acceptance

hurdles that could stem from cultural disparities

(Chen, 2024).

Secondly, it's a smart move to make use of top-

notch teams from different countries (co-produced

films). For instance, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden

Dragon" was the fruit of a high - flying collaboration

between a Chinese-speaking team and a Hollywood

team. When it came to photography, visual effects,

and original music, the Chinese-speaking team

brought their profound knowledge of Chinese culture

and their one-of-a-kind aesthetic sensibilities to the

table, creating scenes and music that were oozing

with Chinese charm. The Hollywood team, on the

other hand, with their tried-and-true film making

know-how and global distribution experience,

pitched in with special effects production, post-

editing, and global market promotion. This

partnership not only kept the essence of Chinese

culture intact but also upped the film's production

value and global clout thanks to Hollywood's

professional edge, making the film more palatable to

An Analysis of Overseas Marketing Strategies for Chinese Cultural Films: The Last Emperor and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon as

Examples

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international audiences. "The Last Emperor" was

helmed by Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci. It

combined a Chinese-peaking costume and art design

team with a Japanese music - scoring team. The

Italian director injected Western film-narrative styles

and shooting techniques, making the film's pacing

and visual look more in tune with Western audiences'

viewing preferences. The Chinese - speaking team's

painstaking work on costume and art design

authentically recreated China's historical settings and

clothing traditions, while the Japanese team's music

added a distinctive auditory touch to the film. The

cooperation of these different national teams struck a

balance between Eastern and Western cultures in the

film and lessened the cultural discount (Zhang, 2020).

Building a director’s brand is crucial. Ang Lee,

the director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is a

household name in the international film arena. He's

a whiz at blending Eastern culture with Western

viewpoints. His earlier works like "Pushing Hands"

and "The Wedding Banquet" caught the world's eye

and won widespread acclaim. Audiences had an

inkling of Ang Lee's creative style and artistic caliber.

When "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" hit the

screens, because of their trust in the Ang Lee brand,

audiences were more than willing to give this film

with Chinese -cultural elements a shot. The director's

brand power helped the film reel in a huge number of

international audiences and removed the roadblocks

caused by cultural differences. Bernardo Bertolucci,

the director of "The Last Emperor", also has a sterling

reputation in the international film community. He's

renowned for his unique storytelling methods and in-

depth exploration of historical themes. His works

such as "Last Tango in Paris" and "The Dreamers"

have had a far-reaching impact globally. "The Last

Emperor" lured many Western audiences to the

cinema under the Bertolucci brand. They were eager

to see how Bertolucci would tell China's historical

tales, which made the film more readily accepted in

the Western market and cut down on the cultural

discount (Ethnicity and Global Dissemination...,

2024).

Fourthly, opt for low - context and high-visual-

impact communication. Crouching Tiger, Hidden

Dragon is brimming with visually arresting scenes.

Take, for instance, the bamboo forest fight sequence.

The verdant bamboo, fluttering bamboo leaves,

billowing robes, and spectacular martial arts

maneuvers crafted exquisite images (Li, 2024). These

scenes didn't call for excessive verbal elaboration.

Viewers could directly sense the tense ambiance, the

chivalrous essence, and the allure of Chinese martial

arts culture. Chinese classical cultural emblems like

Hui - style architecture and the capital city's edifices

were showcased via beautiful visuals, enabling

international audiences to directly experience the

distinct charm of Chinese culture. The high - visual -

impact scenes made up for potential comprehension

hurdles stemming from cultural disparities. The Last

Emperor also placed emphasis on the pictures'

expressiveness. The re-creation of settings such as the

Forbidden City and the Summer Palace in the film

revealed magnificent and beautiful Eastern

architectural vistas. Puyi's palace living scenes,

through the meticulous arrangement of elements like

colors, costumes, and props, generated a powerful

visual impact. For example, the grandeur of Puyi's

coronation scene, with Puyi donning a resplendent

dragon robe, seated on a majestic throne, encircled by

solemn palaces and bowing subjects. This high-

visual-impact mode of presentation enabled Western

audiences, even those with limited acquaintance of

Chinese history and culture, to glean the emotions and

tales conveyed by the film through the images, thus

lessening the cultural discount.

Fifthly, films need to be precisely positioned, and

the market segmented. Crouching Tiger, Hidden

Dragon deftly melded Eastern martial-arts elements

with themes that piqued Western audiences' interest,

such as female self-development and the quest for

freedom. "Female hero" emerged as one of the film's

top-ranking keywords. This setup accurately lured the

Western female audience demographic and sated

Western audiences' curiosity about the enigmatic

Eastern martial-arts realm. The film producers

spotlighted diverse selling points for different

regional markets. In the European and American

markets, they stressed action scenes and

individualistic values, while in the Asian market, they

zeroed in on promoting the film's cultural legacy and

star-studded cast, achieving targeted marketing. The

Last Emperor centered on the legendary life of Puyi,

the final emperor of China's feudal dynasty. This

theme carried a profound sense of mystery and

historical hefty, which held great appeal for Western

audiences. The film gratified Western audiences'

curiosity about Eastern history by depicting Puyi's

vicissitudes. During the marketing process, it

accentuated the unique historical backdrop and

character narratives, attracting history buffs and

audiences seeking in-depth content (Song, 2018).

Sixthly, movies ought to focus on publicity tactics

and topic creation. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

capitalized on the international clout of its lead actors

for promotion. Big-name stars such as Chow Yun-fat,

Michelle Yeoh, and Zhang Ziyi took part in film

promotion events across the globe, catching the eye

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of the media and the public. The awesome trailers and

posters put out by the film producers zeroed in on the

thrilling martial arts action sequences and the

gorgeous Eastern imagery, stoking the audiences'

eagerness. The movie snagged multiple Oscar and

Golden Globe nominations, and the producers

jumped at the chance to promote it like crazy, which

further boosted the film's popularity and influence

and generated a lot of buzz. In the promotion of The

Last Emperor, the international standing of director

Bernardo Bertolucci and his one-of-a-kind

filmmaking style were played up to draw in the

audience. The Chinese palace culture and the

enigmatic Eastern historical elements presented in the

film became the main selling points. Thanks to media

coverage and film critics' endorsements, it sparked

discussions and piqued the curiosity of the viewers.

The film bagged eight Oscars and two Golden Globe

Awards, and the award-winning news became a

major selling point, luring more people to theaters

(Liu, 2023).

Seventhly, movies need to be mindful of the

choice of release dates and scheduling strategies.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon hit the screens in

2000 when the global film market was booming. It

steered clear of the peak release times of Hollywood

blockbusters, thus carving out more market space for

itself. When it came to scheduling, the producers got

in touch with major cinemas to secure more prime

screening slots, especially in the key cinemas of

major European and American cities, making sure the

film got enough exposure and was easily accessible

to the audience. Through smart release - date

selection and scheduling strategies, the film's box -

office performance got a significant lift. When The

Last Emperor was released in 1987, it also took the

release-date factor into full account and was launched

at a time when Western audiences were eager to

watch movies. In terms of scheduling, it was

distributed across both art - house cinemas and large

- scale commercial theaters, satisfying the preferences

of art - film enthusiasts while also reaching a broader

audience and increasing the film's market share.

Hurdles in the Overseas Dissemination of Movie

Cultural Content. China still had an air of mystery in

Hollywood and Europe. Bernardo Bertolucci threw in

some ambiguous interactions between the last

emperor and his empress, sexual scenes involving the

emperor, empress, and concubines, and same - sex

love between Kawashima Yoshiko and the last

empress in the film. By using these out-of-the-

ordinary love scenes, he took a voyeuristic approach

to peek into the East. However, by 2000, the market

no longer needed the strange and decadent image of

the Eastern palace to tickle people's aesthetic fancy.

The otherworldly martial - arts realm came into the

limelight, and the chivalrous spirit and the female

rebellious spirit helped eastern films make their mark

on the global stage. The voyeuristic angle did pique

the interest of Western audiences, but it still carried

the vestiges of Western colonial thinking, causing

some disconnect with Chinese cultural symbols

among the locals.

In the evolution of Chinese cultural films, certain

movies, particularly martial - arts flicks, went

overboard in showcasing visuals and gradually got

stuck in the quagmire of formalism. These films were

all about chasing eye-popping visual effects, but they

turned a blind eye to delving deep into and effectively

conveying the cultural essence. Take some martial

arts movies for example. They merely used kung - fu

sequences and fantastical special effects as crowd -

pullers, barely skimming the surface of cultural

meanings like the chivalrous ethos and traditional

Chinese values without really unpacking them.

Consequently, after watching these films, viewers

could only recall the thrilling fight scenes and

struggled to grasp the cultural significance hidden

beneath. This led to these films lacking staying power

and slowly losing their allure in the marketplace.

Chinese cultural films grapple with the issue of

cultural discount in the international arena. Owing to

cultural disparities, the distinctive cultural emblems,

values, and storytelling approaches in Chinese

cultural films present a steep learning curve for

foreign viewers. For instance, some movies rooted in

traditional Chinese operas and folk legends come

with intricate performance styles, unique linguistic

quirks, and profound cultural backstories, which

make them a hard nut to crack for Western audiences.

As a result, the overseas reach and influence of these

films are limited. Disseminating the Chinese cultural

core via cultural films can help boost a country's

cultural soft power and foster international

understanding and recognition of China.

Nevertheless, there are numerous hurdles in the

actual dissemination process. On one hand, it's

essential to appropriately adapt and present the

cultural core while preserving Chinese cultural traits

to better align with the aesthetic and comprehension

preferences of international audiences. On the other

hand, it's necessary to break free from the shackles of

the Western mainstream cultural discourse system

and aesthetic benchmarks and establish a cultural

dissemination framework with Chinese

characteristics, endowing Chinese cultural films with

a unique edge in the international market (Zhu,2024).

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Examples

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4 CONCLUSION

This study selected Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

and The Last Emperor as case studies to conduct an

in - depth analysis of the overseas marketing tactics

of Chinese cultural films. The figures indicate that

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon outshone in terms

of global box-office earnings, market penetration, and

international audience reception. Even though The

Last Emperor boasted high artistic merits, its

acceptance in the international market was hampered

by some plot elements. The strategies employed by

these two films to mitigate cultural discounts are

worthy of emulation. Directors can draw in audiences

by capitalizing on the star power and directorial

influence on lower cultural barriers, embrace the co -

production model to combine the strengths of

different parties, utilize high - impact visual

communication to surmount cultural hurdles, and

precisely target the market to meet the diverse needs

of audiences. However, the overseas marketing of

Chinese cultural films is fraught with challenges.

Some movies pay more heed to visuals than to

substance and lack long-term impact. The cultural

discount is a significant problem, and cultural

differences make it a tough ask for foreign audiences

to understand these films. In the future, Chinese

cultural films should zero in on exploring the cultural

core, innovating in expression forms, beefing up

international cooperation and market research, and

devising more effective marketing strategies. With

the march of globalization, Chinese cultural films

stand a good chance of overcoming difficulties,

enhancing their international clout, spreading

Chinese culture, and fortifying the country's cultural

soft power.

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