The Effect Of Cultural Distance On Export Of Chinese Core Cultural Products

With economic globalization and deeper national cultural exchange, the worldwide cultural trade is developing rapidly. With the development of culture economization and cultural realization of economy, the increasing integration of the cultural economy has become an important form of the global economic development as well as an important pillar of the national economy. China, as a competitive nation? the import and export trade flows of core cultural products grow promptly, bringing a profound significance.Based on previous literature, this paper gives a description of Chinese core cultural trade status. The findings are as follows:Firstly, there is a big trade surplus advantage for importation and exportation in core cultural products, supplemented overall exports of up to 20 million dollars, while imports amounted to approximately 3 million dollars. Total trade is favorable balance, but adverse balance in some terms. Secondly, China’s exports of core culture products are mainly dominated by of the visual arts, audio and audiovisual media, accounting for about 85% in total exports with less export volume of the other three; export structure has undergone significant changes, from 2003 to 2009, audio and audiovisual media occupies the first place, but since 2010 visual arts replace it. Composition of imports remains stable, music and the performing arts always accounts for 70% of total imports. Thirdly, in terms of culture products trade, the developed countries still remain to be China’s largest import and export partners, with still a high concentration of import and export trade area.For further study of the influence of cultural distance factors on Chinese core cultural products trade, this paper selects twenty countries on the base of Chinese core products exportation. Using core cultural products export data between China and these 20 countries and regions from 2003 to 2013, KSI index is applied to calculate the cultural distance between partners. By putting the cultural distance, technological level, terms of trade, exchange rates, common language, FTA and other variables into the extended gravity model, this paper makes the empirical analysis on the influence of overall cultural distance and dimensions of cultural distance on exportation of classification of Chinese core cultural products. The results show that:Firstly, the overall cultural distance has a significant negative correlation between trading partners. The greater the cultural distance, the smaller trade flows between the two partners. Secondly, the dimensions of cultural distance collectivism and individualism, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation and short-term orientation in our core cultural exports showed a significant negative correlation; on the other hand, indulgence and constraints on China’s core cultural exports plays an significant role in promoting exportation. According to the influence level on export of Chinese cultural products, these cultural dimensions can be ordered as:power distance, uncertainty avoidance, collectivism and individualism, long-term and short-term orientation, indulgence and restraint, and masculinity and femininity qualities no significant effect.On the above basis, this paper finally revealed the main conclusions, and put forward some suggestions from three angles of industrial structure, trade structure and enterprise, to increase the export volume in core cultural products and promote whole competitiveness of the cultural industries.