THE INFLUENCE OF GLOBAL FANDOM ON THE SUSTAINED POPULARITY OF CHINESE DRAMAS: A CASE STUDY OF FAN ART ON SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE UNTAMED
Keywords:
The Untamed, Global Fandom, Fan Art, Chinese Drama, Soft PowerAbstract
The Untamed [Chén Qíng Lìng 陈情令], a Chinese drama released in 2019 and adapted from the novel魔道祖师 [Mó Dào Zǔ Shī], remains highly popular worldwide six years later. Much of this ongoing success comes from international fans who actively share original artwork on platforms like X. This study examines how these global fandom practices, especially the creation of high-engagement fan illustrations, help sustain the drama's appeal and spread Chinese cultural elements. A qualitative case study approach was used, focusing on 10 posts from December 2025 that each received more than 1,000 likes, with many exceeding 10,000 likes and 50,000 views. Data were gathered through targeted searches on X and analyzed using thematic content analysis, supported by Joseph Nye's soft power framework and Henry Jenkins' theory of participatory fandom. The results show that fan art is the main form of engagement. Fans reinterpret wuxia stories, depict hanfu clothing, and explore emotional themes, reaching diverse audiences across countries. These activities extend the drama's reach and strengthen China's cultural influence through natural attraction. The study suggests that the entertainment industry could benefit from closer cooperation with international fans to build on this creative energy and support further global growth of C-Dramas
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Copyright (c) 2026 Najmi Noor Izzati, Rizki Nur Dwi Utari, Nirina Wulan Agustina (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
