This blog is inspired by a seminar that I attended in Beijing. Liang Ning (梁宁), a name you likely have not heard before, is regarded by Lei Jun, the CEO of Xiaomi, as Zhongguancun’s top female intellect (中关村第一才女). She spoke about China’s evolving role in the global landscape and began her talk intriguingly by referencing some of the most discussed topics (at least in China) from the first lunar month of 2025: a movie, a large language model, and news about a celebrity.
1. The Power of Emotional Value
Nezha 2 became China’s highest-grossing animated film, exceeding 13.7 billion RMB (as of February 25, 2025) in global box office revenue. But what made it resonate so deeply with audiences?
Great products are not just about function; they deliver emotional value. Liang Ning states that China is the world’s most optimal single market (全球最好的单一市场). With more than 1 billion internet users and over 80% of them speaking the same standardized Chinese (Putonghua 普通话), it’s a fertile ground for breakout hits.
Nezha 2’s popularity broke multiple records because it tapped into a powerful, unspoken emotional current. The film evoked a deep “awakening of the bloodline” among Chinese viewers — a renewed pride in their heritage and cultural aesthetics.
However, Liang Ning then asked the audience: How would Nezha 2’s popularity compare to the rise of DeepSeek? And how would the news of a Taiwanese celebrity’s passing compare to both?
The Popularity of Keywords, Measured Using WeChat's Metrics:
Liang Ning highlighted how WeChat’s engagement metrics provide a useful gauge for understanding the impact of a product/keyword/event in China’s market:
- 100K → Niche audience （小圈子）
- 1M → “Breaking out” of the niche （出圈）
- 10M → National-level recognition （拥有国民度）
- 100M → Supernational status（超级国民度）
At its peak, the news of the celebrity’s passing reached more than 500M discussions, compared to Nezha 2’s 300M and DeepSeek’s 100M.
Liang Ning posed a thought-provoking question: While many in the tech industry might assume that AI and DeepSeek fully captured the world’s attention, the data showed that a movie release and celebrity news had significantly more impact and popularity, why? She deliberately left this question open-ended, challenging the audience to reflect on what truly defines the standard of humanity (人性) and societal attention (社会关注度).
Key takeaway: Our perspective is shaped by the circles we are in. While those in the tech industry saw DeepSeek’s R1 model as monumental, the broader public’s attention was drawn elsewhere. Understanding these differences is critical for anyone looking to make a widespread impact.
2. From Cultural Inferiority to Confidence
For over a century, Liang Ning argues, China has suffered from cultural insecurity due to a sense of inferiority (自卑).
The Limits of Translation
Some Chinese words have no direct English equivalent.
Words like 逍遥 (xiaoyao), which roughly translates to “free and easy,” and concepts like 神韵 (shen yun), which describe an indescribable mix of romantic, spiritual, and aesthetic charm, lose their depth in translation.
She pointed out that Nezha 2’s entire production team was Chinese. Why? Because every word we use, spoken or written, shapes our thoughts. Without a deep understanding of Chinese culture and history, it would be difficult to produce a film with the same story, visual effects, character design, and action direction to create such a wide-scale emotional resonance.
Liang Ning believes that China’s lack of global cultural expression over the past few centuries, due to historical events, caused such long-held insecurity and inferiority. But that is changing.
Gaining Confidence
Liang Ning stated that China has been expanding university enrollments for the past two decades, now boasting over 60 million engineers. While I understand that this figure may include China's broad classifications of engineering and science disciplines, I believe she was signalling the vast pool of technically skilled talent available and how advantageous this could be in the new era.
Liang Ning then highlighted four key areas where China has gained newfound confidence:
- Workforce confidence: China has embraced the quality of its cost-effective labour force, even in high-tech industries.
- Resource confidence: With its vast natural resources, China is no longer just exporting raw materials but shaping global supply chains.
- Aesthetic confidence: Chinese aesthetics are gaining global appeal, and products are resonating with international audiences.
- Technological vision: Previously, it seemed unlikely that China could lead in AI, but that perception is shifting. With Chinese platforms emerging as global disruptors, some initiatives are being driven not just by commercial incentives but also by a sense of mission and values.
China is no longer just a global manufacturer; it is striving to also become a cultural, and technological powerhouse. With the rise of works like Black Myth: Wukong and Nezha 2, as well as DeepSeek, the global market is beginning to recognise and respond to Chinese aesthetics and values.
3. AI and the Knowledge Revolution: What Happens When Information Becomes Free?
One of Liang Ning’s bold claims is that "the Internet era is over".
The internet solved “information asymmetry.” Companies like Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent (BAT, an acronym for the big tech companies like MANGA and FAANG) became giants by controlling different types of data:
- Baidu dominated search.
- Alibaba controlled e-commerce and transactions.
- Tencent owned social networks and user relationships.
Now, AI is solving “cognitive asymmetry.”
Knowledge used to be valuable because it was scarce. However, in the era of AI, particularly because of large language models (LLMs), knowledge is no longer the bottleneck. Experience is.
She questioned the audience about the meaning of education and learning in the era of LLMs, arguing that it is shifting from “learning to apply knowledge (学以致用)” to “learning to become a better human (学以成人).” She then further delved into her definition of becoming a better human, for those who are interested and fluent in Chinese, I have managed to retrieve the video recording and uploaded it to YouTube:
Key takeaway: Much of the nuances of life experience and hard skills have not been translated into words. The AI era will require talents to explore deeper into the nuances of human experiences, and discovery in this area could be highly meaningful.
4. The Next Giants: Who Can Identify the “Hidden Beasts” of This Era?
Liang Ning broke down the three major eras of global industry dominance:
- Industrial era: The key challenge was efficiency. China mastered this, becoming the world’s factory for manufacturing.
- Internet era: The challenge was information asymmetry. Companies like BAT thrived on organizing and controlling data.
- AI era: The new challenge is cognitive asymmetry.
The next wave of giants will be those who can precisely capture human attention, emotions, and desires.
5. Training AI is Not Enough. We Need to Train Ourselves
A refreshing perspective given by Liang Ning: It’s not just about training AI models, it’s about training ourselves.
- Your perspective defines your reality. If you never step outside your circle, viewpoint or perspective, you will always have a narrow understanding of the world.
- Beware of the “elite fallacy.” Many so-called intellectuals use big words to mask a lack of real thinking.
- Long-term thinking matters. The smartest people can see through short-term noise and understand where things are ultimately headed.
6. Final Thoughts: Are We Ready for This New Era?
- The way we learn, build, and live is changing. The real competitive edge now is cognitive agility, not just knowledge.
- The giants of tomorrow are emerging, spot them before the world does.
As China’s influence in technology, AI, and soft power grows, I am glad to be in a position to look at these changes with a balanced perspective, as a student, learner and observer.
*This blog serves purely as my personal reflection (WIP). While I am fortunate to have complete fluency in Chinese, I found it challenging to fully translate the depth of Liang Ning’s insights into English and it might be better for those who are interested to listen to the recording.