Narrative adaptation of Chinese short dramas in the European and American markets: exploration of commensurable resources and transcoding strategies

Abstract

As a successful case of popular cultural export, Chinese short dramas have bridged cultural preconceptions through strategies of emotional commonality and cultural transcoding, offering valuable insights for the global dissemination of Chinese cultural products. However, beyond their similarities, domestic Chinese short dramas and their overseas counterparts exhibit distinct narrative differences in geographical and cultural attributes, ethical orientations (normative ethics vs. virtue ethics), structural integrity, temporal coherence, and character portrayal. By examining the shared elements and nuanced divergences between domestic and internationalized short dramas, this study explores the “commensurable resources” across cultures, which not only provide effective pathways for the international communication of Chinese cultural products but also contribute to expanding theoretical and practical research on cross-cultural media adaptation.