HUANG Mingfeng ¹, XIAO Zinan ², HUANG Hong ³

(1. Jingdezhen Art Vocational University, Jingdezhen 333000, Jiangxi, China; 2. College of Education, Hanyang University,

Seoul 04805, Republic of Korea; 3. Jingdezhen Ceramic University, Jingdezhen 333403, Jiangxi, China)

Extended Abstract:[Background and purpose] With the acceleration of globalization, while China is playing an increasingly important role on the international stage, promoting Chinese culture to the world has become a crucial and forward-looking strategic task. As an important ambassador of Chinese culture for international exchanges, cultural products bear the responsibility to promote Chinese culture to the global stage, thus enhancing soft power, especially Chinese ceramics, which are a treasure that embodies the wisdom of thousands of years of Chinese civilization. Chinese ceramics are not only an outstanding representative of material cultural heritage but also a bond connecting the cultural hearts of China and foreign countries. However, due to the widespread existence of cultural differences among countries and regions, it is inevitable to be influenced when conducting foreign trade in ceramics, which is specifically manifested in two aspects. On the one hand, if overseas consumers' sense of cultural identification with Chinese ceramics is enhanced, thereby generating greater interest in the products, this cultural identification will promote the export of ceramics. In other words, the stronger the sense of identification, the more favorable it is for the export of ceramics. On the contrary, the weaker the sense of identification, the less favorable it is for the export of ceramics. On the other hand, due to differences in ethnicity, religious beliefs, lifestyle and other aspects, there are differences in consumers' cultural backgrounds and levels of cultural cognition. If overseas consumers do not understand or even misunderstand the cultural information attached to the products, it will reduce their recognition of the product's value, which is known as cultural discount. Such cultural discount will reduce the export of Chinese ceramics. Therefore, the larger the cultural discount, the less favorable it is for ceramic exports. Conversely, the smaller the cultural discount, the more favorable it is for ceramic exports. It is important to elaborate how to better reduce the cultural discount, enhance the competitiveness of Chinese ceramic products, let people around the world listen to Chinese stories through ceramics as a medium, build a bridge for dialogue with the world, promote the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture among people all over the world and thereby enhance China's influence and discourse power in the global cultural landscape. Moreover, it is also of value to promote mutual learning and exchange among civilizations, and jointly builds a community with a shared future for mankind.[Methods]There is a theoretical analysis that cultural differences can directly affect the export of ceramics. Additionally, the export of ceramics can be indirectly impacted by various other factors, such as consumer values, GDP per capita, the integration of culture and technology, population and internet penetration rate. A logical relationship diagram was drawn to show the impact of cultural differences on the factors affecting ceramic exports. Then, an empirical analysis was conducted on the impact of cultural differences on Chinese ceramic exports, using the data on China's export volume of ceramics to 17 countries from 2000 to 2019.[Results] As shown by the results of the empirical analysis results, there is an inverse relationship between cultural distance and the export value of ceramics. Namely, the greater the cultural distance, the smaller the export volume of ceramics, and vice versa. When the 17 countries are divided into developing and developed countries, it is found that the greater the cultural distance, the more unfavorable it is for the export of Chinese ceramics to developed countries, while the more favorable it is for exports to developing countries.[Conclusions] It is concluded that cultural distance has a positive effect on the export of Chinese ceramics to countries with friendly relations with China. China and many developing countries are both part of the developing world, while their friendly relations facilitate mutual understanding, which is also conducive to the development of trade between the two sides. Chinese ceramics have a differentiation advantage over overseas ceramics, which can attract purchases. However, cultural distance has a negative effect on the export of ceramics to developed countries. Consumers in developed countries, due to the significant cultural differences between the East and the West, may struggle to comprehend the culture behind the ceramic products, which can greatly reduce their interest and desire to consume, leading to a decrease in the purchase of ceramic products. Therefore, the negative impact of cultural discount on Chinese ceramic exports should be taken seriously. From the government level, various ceramic cultural exchange activities can be supported and encouraged, meanwhile, efforts can be made to tell good stories about Chinese ceramic culture. From the enterprise level, target markets with cultural affinity can be aimed to increase export efforts and develop products that are culturally close to the target market to reduce the negative impact of cultural differences and cultural discount.

Key words: ceramics; export trade; cultural differences; impact study