To tell stories of China's cultural heritage, turn it into stories that audiences want to hear and watch: British vlogger

At the 2026 Beijing Cultural Forum, British vlogger Stuart Wiggin shared his approach to presenting China’s cultural heritage, saying the key is to turn it into stories that audiences want to hear and watch.

He said that when introducing Chinese culture to overseas audiences, the first challenge is how to grab their attention. He explained that complex cultural content can easily be overshadowed by eye-catching short videos featuring robots, high-speed trains and sceneries. So his approach is to begin with “why it is interesting” rather than “what it is.”

He cited his experience filming the Torch Festival in Liangshan, Sichuan Province, where he talked with local people to highlight shared human experiences.

“Overseas audiences first see the people. They will realize, no matter which country we live in, no matter how different our cultures are, we share many things in common. We have many similar thoughts,” he said.

The vlogger believes that cultural heritage is not merely relics from the past, but the vibrant life ordinary people live today. “If a video makes someone who knew little about China before feel that they want to come to China and experience this culture, I think that counts as a really successful piece of cultural communication.” (Zhang Dongfang, Lang Lang)