Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.006
A Study on Cross-cultural Communication Strategies in the English Translation of China’s Energy Transition White Paper from the Perspective of Memetics
Qinglin Meng1, Zikang Wei2, Xiaoting Ma3,*
1School of Mechanical Engineering, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation Class 242, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, Shenyang 110136, Liaoning, China.
2School of Electrical Engineering, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, Shenyang 110136, Liaoning, China.
3Department of Foreign Language Instruction, Shenyang Institute of Engineering, Shenyang 110136, Liaoning, China.
*Corresponding author: Xiaoting Ma
Published: October 31,2025
Abstract
As China assumes an increasingly important role in the global energy governance system, the translation of official documents such as China’s Energy Transition white paper (released August 29, 2024) has become crucial for communicating China’s vision and shaping its national image. As a new theory based on Darwin’s theory of evolution, memetics explains the laws of cultural evolution. Because of the process of cultural transmission that is analogous to memes, memetics provides a great influence through which to analyze the cross-cultural communicative impact of external publicity texts. Guided by memetic theory, this study examines core energy policy concepts in the White Paper as “cultural memes” and explores memetic replication across four stages of the translation process. Through a comparative analysis of Chinese and English texts, this paper investigates strategies for constructing “supermemes”, supported by representative case studies. It elucidates how external publicity texts employ assimilation, retention, expression, and transmission to ensure the successful replication and dissemination of China’s energy discourse memes in cross-cultural contexts. The study aims to provide theoretical insights and practical guidance for translating political texts with Chinese characteristics for international audiences.
Keywords
Memetics; Translation strategy; Energy transition; Cross-cultural communication; National image
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How to cite this paper
A Study on Cross-cultural Communication Strategies in the English Translation of China's Energy Transition White Paper from the Perspective of Memetics
How to cite this paper: Qinglin Meng, Zikang Wei, Xiaoting Ma. (2025) A Study on Cross-cultural Communication Strategies in the English Translation of China's Energy Transition White Paper from the Perspective of Memetics. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 9(10), 1874-1879.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2025.10.006