The Cultural Products Trade Network Evolution Of Countries Along "the Belt And Road" ——Based On The Perspective Of Cultural Differences

Under the background of " the Belt and Road Initiatives ",countries along the way have carried out extensive exchanges and cooperation in various fields.Cultural products are not only trade commodities,but also the medium of cultural exchanges.This particularity determines that the development of cultural products trade plays an irreplaceable role in strengthening trade cooperation and promoting cultural exchanges among countries along the way."The Belt and Road" spans three continents,with numerous ethnic groups and diverse cultures.Cultural differences are one of the factors that affect trade,especially for cultural product trade.This paper attempts to interpret the formation and evolution of the network through the method of network research by constructing the cultural product trade network of the countries along the way,and explore the characteristics of the network and the role of cultural differences.First of all,according to the definition and classification of cultural products by UNESCO,this paper sorts out the trade data of cultural products in the countries along the way from 2009 to 2019 and builds a cultural product trade network.Based on the social network analysis method（SNA）,the network is described and analyzed,successively interprets it from four aspects:the overall network,the individual network,the core-periphery structure,and the cohesive subgroup;Secondly,this paper attempts to explore the role of cultural differences in the cultural product trade network.Mechanisms about how cultural differences affect the cultural product trade are explained theoretically,and it is empirically tested using the Stochastic Exponential Graph Model（ERGM）.Hofstede cultural distance and common language is used as proxy variables of cultural differences in ERGM,the influence of cultural differences on the formation of network relationships was observed through parameter estimation.The results of different years were dynamically compared.Conclusions drawn from this paper are as follows:（1）The trade of cultural products along the way is gradually prosperous.（2）China,Turkey,the United Arab Emirates,and Russia have prominent core positions in the network.（3）The evolution of the friend circle for cultural product trade shows a phased characteristic.（4）Cultural differences inhibit the formation of cultural product trade networks.