Contextual adaptation in China's regional international communication: Audience fit and opportunities for emotional connection
Bizheng Zhou
Tianjin Foreign Studies University Binhai International College
DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/pmcs.v8i3.15450
Keywords: regional international communication; contextual adaptation; audience fit; local cultural symbols; emotional connection
Abstract
Regional international communication addresses specific groups embedded in distinct linguistic, media, and cultural environments rather than a homogeneous "overseas audience." Whether messages are understood and whether audience engagement can be sustained depend on the fit between communication practices and local needs, media habits, and cultural experience. Drawing on research on targeted communication and regional studies, together with the ritual view of communication, this study uses a focused comparative case design to examine contextual adaptation and the conditions that may enable emotional connection. Four cases are examined: multilingual communication directed from Yunnan toward South and Southeast Asia, international coverage of the wandering Asian elephants in Yunnan, the Chinese musical Flying Apsaras at the Daegu International Musical Festival in Korea, and a China–Myanmar co-produced documentary series. The cases show that regional international communication involves more than the technical identification of audience segments. Its effectiveness also depends on whether language, platforms, narrative forms, and cultural symbols are adapted to the everyday contexts of intended audiences. Emotional connection is not produced simply through the addition of affective language; rather, opportunities for such connection may arise through recognizable local symbols, embodied experience, and shared production.
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