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Culture, Society, and Public Life
This section presents digital humans in China as culturally encoded social actors that mediate tourism, fandom, youth marketing, identity formation, and state-aligned narratives while reshaping legal, psychological, and participatory relationships between people and virtual beings.
China's Digital Humans and the Values That Shape Them
Explores how Confucian, collectivist, and socialist values are embedded in avatar behavior and function.
China’s Digital Humans Are Rewriting the Tourism Playbook
Reviews the use of avatars as tour guides, heritage ambassadors, and museum narrators.
Digital Humans Sell Everything in China While the West Still Watches
Compares avatar livestreaming trends, platforms, and user behavior across cultural contexts.
China’s VTuber Fandom and the Rise of Virtual Idol Culture on Bilibili
Analyzes fandoms, co-creation practices, and cultural meaning-making in China’s VTuber sphere.
The Rise of China’s Virtual Idols
Looks at the integration of avatars into consumer campaigns targeting Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
China’s Virtual Beings and the Bonds They Break
Evaluates parasocial relationships, mental health factors, and avatar-driven identity formation.
The Unresolved Legal Life of China’s Virtual Digital Humans
Investigates the separation of rights and responsibilities between avatars and their human creators.
China’s Digital Humans Rise From Spectacle to State Priority
Discusses efforts to design virtual humans that reflect cultural authenticity and ideological narratives.