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Drawing on reception aesthetics, adaptation theory, and Cultural Empowerment Theory, it analyzes adaptation and cultural empowerment across different periods and media. Using diachronic and synchronic approaches, the study applies literature research and online ethnography to map how “Thick Power” becomes “Thick Empowerment,” and how youth participate in interpretation and re-creation through new media, reflecting strong cultural identification and confidence.",{"@graph":69,"@context":123},[70,84,106],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/thick-power-journey-to-the-west-adaptations-and-cultural-empowerment-with-black-myth-wukong-a-cultural-empowerment-theory-perspective/135644/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/thick-power-journey-to-the-west-adaptations-and-cultural-empowerment-with-black-myth-wukong-a-cultural-empowerment-theory-perspective/135644.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Lucas Vance","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-19","2026-08-21",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":105},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",14,{"@type":107,"mainEntity":108},"FAQPage",[109,115,119],{"name":110,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":112},"What core relationship does the paper study between Journey to the West and Black Myth: Wukong?","Question",{"text":113,"@type":114},"It studies how adaptations of Journey to the West shape cultural empowerment in the game Black Myth: Wukong and how audiences—especially China’s younger generation—engage with these adapted works.","Answer",{"name":116,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":117},"Which theories and methods does the study use?",{"text":118,"@type":114},"The analysis combines reception aesthetics, adaptation theory, and Cultural Empowerment Theory, employing diachronic and synchronic perspectives with literature research and online ethnographic methods.",{"name":120,"@type":111,"acceptedAnswer":121},"What does the paper conclude about Chinese youth and cultural empowerment?",{"text":122,"@type":114},"It concludes that Chinese youth actively participate in interpreting and re-creating Chinese culture via new media platforms, demonstrating identification with and cultural confidence in Chinese culture.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":125,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":127,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":129,"site_id":62},135644,1787316529,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":132},{"doc_id":129,"user_id":133,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":105,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":140,"language":141,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":142,"faqs":143,"seo_title":144,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":130,"read_time":145},549768064622,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","International Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology (2025) 9:6  \n[https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-025-00129-7](https://doi.org/10.1186/s41257-025-00129-7)  \nORIGINAL PAPER  \nInternational Journal of Anthropology and Ethnology  \nOpen Access  \nThick Power: the adaptations of Journey to the West and the interaction between the Chinese youth and Black Myth: Wukong from the perspective of Cultural Empowerment Theory  \nJijiao Zhang1 · Zixiang Zhou2  \nReceived: 27 December 2024 / Revised: 4 April 2025 / Accepted: 7 April 2025 /© The Author(s) 2025  \nAbstract  \nThis paper focuses on adapting the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and the interaction between the game Black Myth: Wukong and the younger generation in China. Based on reception aesthetics, adaptation theory, and Cultural Empowerment Theory, the article analyzes Journey to the West’s adaptations and cultural empowerment across different periods and media from both ontological and essential research perspectives, combining diachronic and synchronic analysis. The study systematically examines Journey to the West’s adaptation process and cultural empowerment through literature research and online ethnographic methods. The research indicates that the game Black Myth: Wukong is a well-crafted adaptation of Journey to the West and has received the “Thick Empowerment” from the “Thick Power” of Journey to the West. Furthermore, Chinese youth of the new era have exerted their cultural subjectivity by actively participating in interpreting and re-creating Chinese culture in adapted works through new media platforms, demonstrating their profound identification with and cultural confidence in Chinese culture.  \nKeywords Journey to the West · Black Myth: Wukong · Cultural Empowerment Theory · Adaptation · Reception Aesthetics · Chinese Younger Generation · Thick Power · Thick Empowerment  \n* Zixiang Zhou [hourglass518@outlook.com](hourglass518@outlook.com)  \nJijiao Zhang  \n[zhjijiao@126.com](zhjijiao@126.com)  \n1 Institute of Ethnology and Anthropology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Bld. 6, No. 27 Zhongguancun Nandajie Street, Beijing 100081, P.R. China  \n2 School of Sociology and Ethnology, University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, No. 11 Changyu Street, Fangshan District, Beijing 102488, P.R. China  \n1 Introduction  \nReleased in August 2024, Black Myth: Wukong is an action role-playing game (ARPG) adapted from the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West and is hailed as China’s first AAA game.1 Upon its official release, it has been praised by players worldwide for its exquisite production and deep grounding in Chinese culture, setting a series of records in the gaming industry.2 Simultaneously, it has sparked both a “Wukong fever” and “Journey to the West fever,” domestically and internationally (Yang 2024) .  \nJourney to the West (西游记) and its protagonist, Sun Wukong (孙悟空), also known as Monkey King (美猴王), have long transcended their setting as cultural symbols and continue to influence audiences in China and abroad profoundly. The stories of Journey to the West have been continuously reinterpreted and performed across various media, including literature, opera, film, animation, and television, for more than four centuries, which demonstrates the source material’s enduring influence and robust vitality. The emergence of the game Black Myth: Wukong blends classic cultural elements with modern gaming technology, allowing an innovative expression of classic literary work and Chinese culture. As such, Black Myth: Wukong represents the latest successful adaptation of the literary classic Journey to the West.  \nDomestic academics have discussed Black Myth: Wukong from perspectives such as cross-media adaptation, character evolution, international cross-cultural communication, and the “activation” of Chinese culture through computer games. For instance, Lin and Li (2024) explored the modern presentation and international dissemination of “Journey to the West” by study","cbCaidpVBxsh9Xgj","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidpVBxsh9Xgj","pdf",1654069,31,"English","# Introduction\n## Background and emergence of Black Myth: Wukong\n## Journey to the West’s long-term cultural influence\n## Prior scholarship and research gap\n## Youth reception and re-creation in digital media","[{\"question\":\"What core relationship does the paper study between Journey to the West and Black Myth: Wukong?\",\"answer\":\"It studies how adaptations of Journey to the West shape cultural empowerment in the game Black Myth: Wukong and how audiences—especially China’s younger generation—engage with these adapted works.\"},{\"question\":\"Which theories and methods does the study use?\",\"answer\":\"The analysis combines reception aesthetics, adaptation theory, and Cultural Empowerment Theory, employing diachronic and synchronic perspectives with literature research and online ethnographic methods.\"},{\"question\":\"What does the paper conclude about Chinese youth and cultural empowerment?\",\"answer\":\"It concludes that Chinese youth actively participate in interpreting and re-creating Chinese culture via new media platforms, demonstrating identification with and cultural confidence in Chinese culture.\"}]","Thick Power: Journey to the West adaptations and cultural empowerment with Black Myth: Wukong - A Cultural Empowerment Theory perspective | PDF",78]