Li Fengliang: Driving the Modernization of Cultural Governance Through Institutional Reform and Digital Technology
The modernization of cultural governance represents a deep coupling between the endogenous evolution of Chinese civilization and the epochal transformations of digital technology. This coupling is rooted in the bidirectional construction of cultural subjectivity and governance efficacy, manifesting socio-historical necessity through the dialectical unity of culture and governance. From the perspective of inter-culturality, the modernization of cultural governance is a profound fusion of ideological genes from fine traditional Chinese culture—such as "the people as the foundation of the state" [1], "the unity of knowledge and action" [2], and "discarding the old to establish the new" [3]—with the Marxist view of the people's subjectivity. The resulting governance paradigm, characterized by significant cultural subjectivity, adaptability, and practicality, is capable of fully stimulating the effects of "institutional coupling," allowing cultural genes to be transformed into institutional advantages through governance practice. From the perspective of technical rationalism, digital technological innovation injects powerful momentum into the modernization of cultural governance (for instance, digital twins reconstruct the space for the inheritance and protection of cultural heritage, and intelligent algorithms optimize the efficiency of cultural resource allocation). This forms a composite driving mechanism of "technology-culture-governance," pushing the governance model from one-dimensional management toward multi-party synergy and collaborative governance, thereby achieving the precise perception of cultural needs, the intelligent coordination of cultural production, and the global communication of cultural values. Looking to the future, the modernization of cultural governance must be based on a historical consciousness of "mutual learning among civilizations" and the technological foundation of "Digital China." In the process of constructing a new form of human civilization, it should demonstrate Eastern wisdom and provide a "Chinese solution" for the transformation of the global cultural governance system.
The Epochal Value of the Modernization of Cultural Governance
The entrance of socialism with Chinese characteristics into a New Era signifies historical changes brought about by the transformation of the principal contradiction in society, the deepening development of globalization, and revolutionary breakthroughs in information technology. It also carries the strategic mission of comprehensively building a modern socialist country. Moreover, it faces brand-new, multi-dimensional challenges in the field of cultural governance: at the institutional level, there is an urgent need to construct a modern cultural governance system compatible with high-quality development; at the value level, there is a pressing need to strengthen the synergistic efficacy of Marxist ideological leadership and the cultivation of Core Socialist Values; at the practical level, there is a call to realize the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, and to build a digital cultural ecosystem, thereby achieving a resonance between cultural governance capacity and the modernization of national governance through upholding the fundamentals and breaking new ground. "The New Era we face is both the best era for the development of the Chinese nation since modern times and the most critical era for achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation." Only by profoundly understanding the significance of the New Era can we grasp its essence and characteristics. The construction of Chinese-path modernization has reached a new historical starting point; we must treat the continuous satisfaction of the "people’s ever-growing needs for a better life" as the driving force and source for future economic, political, social, cultural, and ecological construction. Satisfying the people's ever-growing needs for a better life is inseparable from using cultural construction as an important handle and providing a powerful cultural guiding force for the construction of socialism with Chinese characteristics through a high degree of cultural confidence. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, China's cultural construction has achieved historical accomplishments. Under the overall results of the comprehensive development of cultural undertakings, the increasing perfection of public cultural services, the orderly promotion of cultural market construction, and the vigorous development of cultural industries, practical problems remain. These include an insufficiency of high-quality cultural productions, a need for greater innovation in fine traditional culture, an uneven distribution of cultural resources between urban and rural areas, a need to strengthen the regulatory system for online cultural products, and a need to improve international communication capacity.
The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Upholding and Improving the System of Socialism with Chinese Characteristics and Promoting the Modernization of China's System and Capacity for Governance," deliberated and adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 19th CPC Central Committee, pointed out: "Developing advanced socialist culture and extensively mobilizing the spiritual strength of the people provides deep support for the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity." This provides a clear roadmap for the modernization of cultural governance. As an important component of Chinese-path cultural modernization, the modernization of cultural governance is not only a technical upgrade but also a source of power to stimulate enthusiasm for cultural innovation and promote cultural prosperity. It is also the fundamental path to respond to the increasingly prominent trend of cultural pluralism and integration and to enhance the global cultural competitiveness of the Chinese nation. On one hand, the modernization of cultural governance can further release the vitality of the cultural market, optimize the construction of the public cultural service system, and provide the people with richer and higher-quality spiritual and cultural products, helping to achieve common prosperity for all and improving the quality of the people's spiritual life. On the other hand, it can effectively resist the infiltration of foreign cultures, strengthen cultural confidence and self-reliance, consolidate the uniqueness and subjectivity of Chinese culture, enhance the people's sense of belonging and mission toward the state and the nation, and promote the creative transformation and innovative development of fine traditional Chinese culture, thereby cultivating the epochal soil of "cultural consciousness" and "cultural confidence" for the realization of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
The Path of Institutional Reform for the Modernization of Chinese-path Cultural Governance in the New Era
The "Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Further Comprehensively Deepening Reform and Advancing Chinese-path Modernization," adopted at the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, listed "focusing on building a strong socialist culture" as one of the "Seven Focuses," highlighting the core position of culture in the national development strategy. To achieve this goal, the reform of the cultural governance system must be deepened to adapt to the needs of cultural development in the New Era. The path of institutional reform for the modernization of cultural governance involves the systematic optimization of governance subjects, content, structures, and effects, as well as multi-faceted systematic issues such as how to effectively allocate cultural resources, innovate cultural governance methods, and enhance cultural governance efficacy in the process of modernization.
The Level of Subjects: An Evolutionary Leap from Administratization to the Rule of Law. Observing the historical changes in the subjects of cultural governance, our country's cultural governance system has gradually moved from a single, government-led model toward a pattern of multi-subject collaborative governance. This transition reflects the modernization leap of national governance philosophy from an administrative management type to a government-service and democratic-legal type. From the early days of the founding of the People's Republic until before the Reform and Opening-up, the primary subject of cultural governance in China was the state, characterized by highly centralized "administratized cultural governance subjects." Culture became an extension of politics; the state used a planned model to effectively regulate and manage cultural behavior. The subjects were singular, power was highly concentrated in cultural administrative departments, and the participation of social forces was weak. The formulation of relevant cultural policies mainly reflected national discourse characteristics, and governance effects still needed improvement. With the advancement of economic system reform after the Reform and Opening-up, market mechanisms were gradually introduced into cultural governance, and the economic attributes of the cultural market were gradually amplified. Social forces began to participate, forming a "diffuse cultural governance" [4] pattern characterized by multi-party interaction, open dissemination, and decentralized management. Cultural public institutions (shiye danwei) [5] began to explore enterprise-style management, and the cultural industry gradually emerged during this period.
Since the 21st century, China’s socialist modernization has achieved remarkable results, and cultural governance has entered the stage of "collaborative cultural governance." The subjects include the government, social organizations, enterprises, citizens, and other parties, and the governance model has transformed into "multi-centered collaborative governance." For example, in urban cultural construction, a multi-party synergy mechanism involving Party-building leadership, government support, professional backing, and citizen participation has become an important model. Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the modernization of cultural governance has formed a model that balances "indigeneity and publicity." Indigeneity emphasizes overall coordination under the leadership of the CPC, effectively regulating and deploying the production and supply of public cultural products and services according to the cultural needs of society and the masses, achieving high consistency between the government, society, and the interests of the people. Publicity is reflected in the people as the subjects of governance, emphasizing a people-centered approach, more focus on cultural confidence and cultural identity, and enhancing cultural governance efficacy by improving the construction of the cultural rule of law, optimizing the cultural management system, and promoting the integration of culture and technology.
The Level of Objects: Content Transformation from Cultural Undertakings to Cultural Industries. During the stage of administratized cultural governance, the objects of governance in China were primarily non-profit public cultural undertakings (wenhua shiye). This period adhered to the "Two Serves" policy [6], emphasizing the popularization, propaganda, and educational functions of culture. Through various channels such as radio, film, books, and newspapers, Core Socialist Values were disseminated to improve the cultural quality of the masses. Since the implementation of cultural market reforms, China's cultural governance philosophy has gradually shifted from a single focus on ideological management to balancing economic and cultural benefits. The focus of cultural governance shifted from "serving politics" to "serving the economy." The economic attributes of the cultural market began to manifest, and the market-oriented institutional reform of culture became one of the important markers of the modernization of cultural governance. This also made the prosperity and development of cultural industries the primary task of cultural governance. After the 17th National Congress of the CPC, the issuance of the "Plan for the Revitalization of the Cultural Industry" further clarified the status of the cultural industry as a pillar industry of the national economy. The number of cultural market subjects increased, vitality was further enhanced, and market mechanisms played a more important role in resource allocation. Meanwhile, the government maintained the healthy development of the cultural market through policy guidance and administrative regulation.
Entering the New Era, the modernization of cultural governance has moved into a stage of comprehensive deepening, emphasizing cultural confidence and the building of a strong socialist culture. The content of cultural governance covers the high-quality development of the public cultural service system. The promulgation of the "Law of the People's Republic of China on Guarantees for Public Cultural Services" has become an important legal protection for the construction of public cultural services. Cultural governance focuses on promoting the transformation of government functions from asking "whether there is" public cultural service to "how good" it is, emphasizing "quality" and "innovation" to ensure the high-quality development of public culture. Simultaneously, under the basic requirements for modernizing the national governance system and capacity, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed the epochal proposition of strengthening cultural confidence. He pointed out: "Cultural subjectivity reflects a country's and a nation's conscious awareness of its own culture and its initiative in cultural innovation and creation. With cultural subjectivity, one has a firm self in a cultural sense, and cultural confidence has a fundamental reliance." He emphasized that "only by persisting in moving from history toward the future and forging ahead while continuing the cultural lineage of the nation can we continuously promote the construction of a strong cultural country." Cultural governance in the New Era pays more attention to the leadership of cultural confidence. The content of governance is more focused on new areas such as the protection and inheritance of cultural heritage, the construction of national cultural parks, regional cultural coordination, and rural cultural revitalization. It also emphasizes the innovative application of digital technology in cultural resource mobilization, striving to build a smart and networked collaborative system for cultural governance.
The Level of Structure: From the Unit System to the "Culture +" Governance System. In the early government-led governance stage, the cultural governance structure was based on the "unit system" (danwei zhi). The cultural system was highly centralized, cultural undertakings were managed uniformly by the state, and resource allocation relied primarily on administrative orders. Cultural governance goals were tailored more toward ideological management and the political system. After the Reform and Opening-up, the cultural governance structure transformed from an administrative command system to a contractual system. Cultural public institutions gradually introduced market mechanisms, promoted the conversion of state-owned operating cultural institutions into enterprises, and gradually formed a model of "public institutions with enterprise-style management." In exploring forms of ownership and operation, artistic groups formed a "dual-track system" where "state-owned performing arts groups sponsored by government cultural departments" and "multi-ownership performing arts groups sponsored by society" developed in parallel—meaning planned management and market operations coexisted. The 16th National Congress of the CPC explicitly proposed "actively developing cultural undertakings and cultural industries." The cultural industry entered a stage of systematic development, the reform of the cultural system accelerated, operating cultural units were gradually converted into enterprises, the total economic volume of the cultural industry grew rapidly, and the cultural governance structure was further optimized. The divergent development of cultural undertakings and cultural industries became an important characteristic.
Since the 18th CPC National Congress, accompanied by the rapid rise of emerging formats such as digital publishing, digital art, digital music, online literature, and digital film and television, the reform of the cultural system has entered a New Era of integrated innovative development. This era is characterized by the convergence of institutional and technological innovation, the fusion of business formats and models, and the synchronized progress of cultural industries and public undertakings. This has posed new propositions for the governance of internet culture. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee proposed to "promote the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity," signaling that the structure of cultural governance has entered a stage of modern transformation.
The core concept of cultural governance has shifted from "unitary management" to "polycentric governance." "Culture+" has become a structural force in Chinese-path modernization of cultural governance, while the modern system of public cultural services and the modern cultural market system have become vital pillars. Simultaneously, promoting the collaborative development of culture with technology, tourism, and the economy through cross-sector integrated innovation has become an important path to achieving the goal of becoming a cultural powerhouse. The 14th Five-Year Plan for Cultural Development proposed "improving the modern cultural industrial system" and "building a high-standard cultural market system" to stimulate the vitality of cultural market entities, making this the center of high-quality development in cultural governance. Cultural governance in the New Era places greater emphasis on the realization of citizens' cultural rights and the social integration function of culture; it has also begun to focus more on governance in new fields such as cultural digitalization and the integration of culture with tourism and sports.
On the objective level: Taking "the people-centered approach" as the starting point and ultimate goal. Specific cultural genes determine the modernization patterns of different countries. Xi Jinping Thought on Culture emphasizes the people-centered development philosophy, which serves as the core concept and fundamental guide for China's cultural modernization, permeating the entire process of cultural governance. From the early period of the People's Republic of China until the beginning of Reform and Opening-up [7], the effectiveness of cultural governance was mainly reflected in consolidating the new regime, promoting the popularization of socialist ideology, and improving the cultural literacy of the masses. For example, through the "Literacy Campaign" [8] and the establishment of grassroots cultural organs, cultural governance achieved a degree of political mobilization and ideological unity, fulfilling the goals of popularizing socialist ideology and raising the cultural quality of the entire population. As cultural governance transitioned from a planned system to a market system, its effects became more apparent in the rise of cultural industries and the preliminary formation of a cultural market. Governance goals focused more on satisfying the spiritual and cultural needs of the people, while governance methods emphasized the principles of fairness and universal benefit in cultural construction.
As cultural governance enters the stage of Comprehensive Deepening Reform [9], a new round of technological revolution and digital technology has transformed the production, dissemination, and governance of culture. This has exerted an unprecedented impact on cultural governance. Disparities in digital concepts and information security issues have become increasingly prominent; cyber-attack methods have diversified, and risks of information leakage have increased. Significant differences exist in the ability to access technology across different regions and social groups. This inequality exacerbates the digital divide, affecting the balanced development of digital culture. Furthermore, the public participation mechanism for digital cultural governance remains incomplete, and information asymmetry is widespread. The essence of cultural governance is to satisfy the people’s ever-growing spiritual and cultural needs. Therefore, in digital cultural governance, we must uphold the principle that "cultural digitalization is for the people, and the fruits of cultural digitalization are shared by the people." We must optimize the supply quality of digital cultural products while focusing on increasing public participation, transparency, and public identification. By improving technological governance means, we can make the sharing of cultural achievements more inclusive and bridge the digital divide between different groups. The structure of cultural governance also needs to further adapt to the challenges of modern information technology, promoting synergy and cooperation between the government, the market, and the public to form a cultural governance pattern of co-construction, co-governance, and shared benefits.
Digital Empowerment for the Modernization of Cultural Governance in the New Era
In the long process of transition from traditional to modern society, cultural governance in the pre-digital era focused primarily on administrative-led institutional reform as the core lever. Through institutional restructuring, functional optimization, and the improvement of policies and regulations, phased achievements were made in smoothing management mechanisms, optimizing resource allocation, and regulating market order. However, this governance paradigm, framed by bureaucracy [10], gradually revealed structural contradictions—such as monolithic subject participation, insufficient technological empowerment, and lagging connection between supply and demand—when faced with the intersecting shocks of globalization, marketization, and technological innovation. This led to problems such as the weakening effectiveness of cultural value leadership, the decay of industrial upgrading momentum, and imbalances in public service supply, making it difficult to effectively respond to the people's growing spiritual and cultural needs and their new expectations for a better cultural life.
The rapid development of digital technology has provided cultural governance with entirely new means of empowerment, promoting a contemporary transformation of governance models in all aspects and providing strong technological support and innovative drive for the modernization of cultural governance. Since the 18th CPC National Congress, the Party Central Committee has attached great importance to using digitalization to drive cultural governance, elevating it to a national strategy. The 20th CPC National Congress explicitly proposed "implementing the national cultural digitalization strategy." Consequently, the mechanisms involving the subjects, tools, content, and effects of China's cultural governance must all undergo new transformations in accordance with the times and circumstances.
Transformation of Cultural Governance Subjects: Information Sharing and Multi-party Participation. The subjects of cultural governance are the foundational force for its modernization. In the traditional cultural governance system, the subjects were government agencies and cultural public institutions (shiye danwei). This system inevitably faced problems such as slow reaction speeds, lagging information acquisition, and insufficient public participation, making it difficult to fully adapt to the needs of cultural governance in the digital age. The rapid development of digital technology has provided an important opportunity for the transformation of cultural governance subjects, driving a shift from unitary to diverse, from closed to open, and from experience-driven to data-driven governance.
Under the traditional cultural governance model, government agencies and cultural public institutions acted as governance subjects whose decision-making processes often relied on empirical judgment and hierarchical approval, making it difficult to respond quickly to changes in social cultural demand. This was manifest in the allocation and utilization of cultural resources, where traditional approval processes were complex and time-consuming, easily leading to resource waste and supply-demand imbalances. Due to limited channels for information acquisition, governance subjects struggled to grasp public cultural needs and feedback in a timely manner, resulting in a certain lag in policy formulation and implementation. Additionally, the channels for public participation in cultural governance were narrow, usually limited to opinion solicitation and questionnaires, making it difficult to form a broad social consensus and synergistic effect.
The application of digital technology provides technological support for the diversification of cultural governance subjects. Through technical means such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, multiple subjects—including the government, enterprises, social organizations, and the public—are able to participate in cultural governance more efficiently, forming an open and collaborative governance system. For example, the "Smart Culture Cloud" platform launched by Zhejiang Province has achieved the sharing and opening of cultural resources by integrating data from across the province. Through the platform, the government can monitor the utilization of cultural resources in real-time; enterprises and social organizations can participate in the planning and implementation of cultural projects; and the public can use the platform to learn about relevant information, access cultural services, and provide feedback. This multi-party participation model not only improves the efficiency of cultural resource utilization but also enhances the transparency and credibility of cultural governance, promoting a shift from "government-led" to "social co-governance." Under the empowerment of digital technology, the subjects of cultural governance have transformed: "the subject of digital cultural governance, which integrates technology and the humanities, is not a single individual or department, but includes the public or organizations composed primarily of the public, including government departments, public sectors such as libraries, museums, universities, and research institutions, as well as commercial cultural institutions, mass media, and the general public." By promoting information sharing and multi-party participation, digital technology drives the transformation of cultural governance subjects. In this process, the government, enterprises, social organizations, and the public cooperate synchronously to jointly construct an open and efficient cultural governance system.
Upgrade of Cultural Governance Tools: Technological Innovation Leading Governance Innovation. Cultural governance tools are the key support for the modernization of cultural governance. With the rapid development of digital technology, emerging technologies such as digital platforms, big data, artificial intelligence, and blockchain have provided entire sets of new tools and means for cultural governance, promoting innovation in governance models and improvements in efficiency.
First, the construction of digital platforms is a major manifestation of the upgrade in cultural governance tools. By building digital cultural service platforms, smart museums, and online cultural heritage databases, the channels for cultural dissemination have been significantly broadened, and the efficiency of cultural resource utilization has been remarkably improved. For example, the National Museum of China created the "National Museum on the Cloud," setting up columns such as "National Museum Invites You to See Exhibitions on the Cloud," "Match-up of National Museum Treasures," and "Appreciating National Museum Treasures on the Cloud" for online display, enabling the public to appreciate precious cultural heritage without leaving their homes. This model not only breaks the limitations of time and space but also greatly enhances the coverage and influence of cultural dissemination. The construction of such digital platforms improves the quality of cultural services while providing new ideas for the protection and utilization of cultural resources.
Second, the application of big data and artificial intelligence has injected new vitality into the upgrade of cultural governance tools. The application of digital technology has significantly improved cultural governance capacity. In identifying cultural needs and predicting cultural trends, big data technology plays an increasingly important role. By providing massive data support, it enables governance subjects to more accurately analyze cultural needs and predict trends. Meanwhile, the application of artificial intelligence has increased the scientific nature of decision-making and the efficiency of cultural services. For example, the Shanghai Museum used AI technology to analyze visitor behavior data, optimizing exhibition layouts and guide services, thereby enhancing the visitor experience. Accurate analysis based on big data allows for more scientific cultural policy formulation and more precise supply of cultural services, greatly improving the coverage and convenience of public cultural services.
Third, blockchain technology demonstrates significant value in cultural governance. The decentralized, tamper-proof, and traceable characteristics of blockchain provide technological guarantees for the development and protection of cultural resources, promoting the healthy development of cultural industries. For example, the Dunhuang Academy [11] collaborated with Tencent to use blockchain technology to support copyright protection for Dunhuang cultural relic resources. In December 2022, the Dunhuang Academy launched the first platform in the museum industry for the confirmation and authorization of digital cultural relic resources based on blockchain—the "Digital Dunhuang Open Material Library." It comprehensively adopted "digital watermarking + blockchain" copyright protection technology, giving each digital resource a unique "electronic ID card," which serves to confirm rights and effectively protect interests. This transparent management model not only enhances public trust in cultural heritage protection but also provides a guarantee for the sustainable utilization of cultural resources.
Deepening of Cultural Governance Content: Digitalization Expanding the Boundaries of Cultural Life. The deepening of cultural governance content is an important manifestation of its modernization. With the wide application of digital technology, the protection, inheritance, and innovation of cultural resources have broken through traditional boundaries. The content of cultural governance has shifted from monolithic to pluralistic, from static to dynamic, and from closed to open. Digital technology not only provides new means for the protection and inheritance of traditional cultural resources but also promotes the integration and innovation of diverse cultures, stimulating public enthusiasm for participation in cultural creation. This has expanded the scope of cultural governance to an unprecedented degree, making the content involved richer and more diverse.
Digital technology has played an important role in the protection and inheritance of traditional cultural resources. Through high-precision scanning, 3D modeling, and virtual reality, many cultural heritages on the brink of disappearance have been permanently preserved and revitalized. For example, since the 1990s, the Dunhuang Academy has explored "Digital Dunhuang," using digital technology to comprehensively record and restore the murals and sculptures of the Mogao Caves, eventually establishing the "Digital Dunhuang" platform. The public can appreciate high-definition murals online through this platform and even "walk into" the caves via VR technology to experience an immersive cultural journey. This digital protection not only solves the survival problems cultural relics face due to natural aging or human damage but also provides new paths for the dissemination and education of cultural heritage, allowing traditional culture to radiate new vitality in the digital age.
Digital technology provides an expansive platform for the fusion and innovation of diverse cultures. Through the internet and social media, barriers to domestic and international cultural exchange have been dismantled, accelerating the pace of cultural innovation. For example, the "China-chic" [12] cultural craze on the Bilibili platform is a textbook example of integrating traditional culture with digital technology. Creators combine traditional Chinese elements with modern artistic styles through animation, music, and short videos, producing a vast array of popular works. This cultural innovation not only enriches the domestic cultural market but also spreads overseas via the internet, becoming a vital component of China's cultural soft power. Furthermore, the rise of emerging cultural forms such as online literature and digital art has injected new vitality into cultural diversity. Taking online literature as an example, Chinese web novel platforms such as Qidian and Jinjiang Literature City have attracted hundreds of millions of domestic readers while disseminating works globally through translation platforms. Many outstanding works have been adapted into films, television series, games, and comics, forming a cross-media cultural industry chain.
It is also important to note that digital technology has significantly lowered the barriers to cultural creation, stimulating public enthusiasm for participating in cultural production. Social media and User-Generated Content (UGC) platforms have become essential channels for the public to express cultural creativity. For instance, users on short-video platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou demonstrate personalized cultural expression by creating dance, music, and short skits, forming unique cyber-cultural phenomena. Through algorithmic recommendations and social interaction, these platforms allow the works of ordinary users to propagate rapidly and trigger widespread resonance. The preceding analysis demonstrates that digital technology, by expanding cultural boundaries, enriches and diversifies the content of cultural governance. It provides a broader space and injects new vitality into the realization of the modernization of cultural governance.
Improving the effectiveness of cultural governance: quantitative evaluation and continuous optimization. The improvement of cultural governance effectiveness is the core objective of the modernization of cultural governance. Traditional evaluations of cultural governance effects often relied on qualitative analysis and empirical judgment, which lacked scientific rigor and systematicity. The application of digital technology provides powerful tools for the quantitative evaluation and continuous optimization of cultural governance effectiveness, prompting a shift from extensive management to refined operations, and from a result-oriented to a process-oriented model.
Constructing a governance effect evaluation model based on big data is key to improving the effectiveness of cultural governance. A scientific and rational system of evaluation indicators can comprehensively and objectively measure the effects of cultural governance. Core indicators include cultural dissemination power, cultural influence, and public satisfaction. Currently, the academic community has focused on and attached importance to evaluating cultural governance effectiveness around digital achievements, exploring the establishment of systematic evaluation frameworks. In research on constructing a system of evaluation indicators for model cities of Chinese civilization in the digital age, some scholars have included the penetration rate of digital public cultural services and the presence of new media and platforms for cultural dissemination as vital components of cultural prosperity indicators. Specific indicators for the penetration rate of digital public cultural services include: the penetration rate of public digital cultural facilities (such as digital cinemas, digital museums, and other basic cultural service facilities); and the level of construction of public digital cultural service platforms (such as public cultural cloud platforms and cultural big data platforms). Specific indicators for new media and platforms for cultural dissemination include: the number of new media platforms; the number of users on these platforms; the coverage area of cultural dissemination activities; and the number of participants in such activities.
Digital platforms provide instantaneous feedback mechanisms for cultural governance, enabling governing subjects to respond promptly to changes in cultural demand and continuously optimize cultural governance work. Taking the "Digital Palace Museum" project as an example, the Palace Museum uses big data analysis to monitor real-time user traffic and growth trends on its digital platforms, assessing the effectiveness of cultural dissemination and reorganizing digital resources according to user needs. Data-based evaluation not only makes governance effects more transparent but also provides a scientific basis for optimizing cultural policies. Additionally, many local governments have established "Smart Culture Cloud" platforms to collect public cultural needs and service feedback in real time. Through big data analysis, these platforms generate trend prediction reports, helping governing subjects adjust the allocation of cultural resources and service content in a timely manner. The application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has further enhanced the intelligence of feedback mechanisms. Many cultural institutions utilize AI customer service systems to answer public inquiries and collect feedback in real time. These systems use Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automatically analyze public opinions and suggestions, generating improvement plans for the reference of governing subjects. This mechanism of real-time feedback and dynamic adjustment makes cultural governance more flexible and efficient. By constructing scientific evaluation systems, providing real-time feedback mechanisms, and promoting successful experiences, digital technology significantly enhances the effectiveness of cultural governance, exerting a powerful empowering effect on the modernization of Chinese-path cultural governance. This must be given high priority in the process of advancing the modernization of cultural governance.
(The author is the Party Secretary of South China Agricultural University) Source: Academic Frontiers (a supplement of Qiushi’s People’s Forum), Issue 5, 2025 Web Editor: Ma Jingren