Game of Soft Power

Still built on cheap labor and low value-added skills, the scope of China's soft power would appear dire, with the stark exception of the country's vibrant gaming industry.

On May 17, the Ministry of Finance announced the country's top 30 cultural enterprises at the Cultural Trade Forum hosted by the Central Propaganda Department. This year's companies brought in a total of 200 billion yuan in revenues, an increase of 28 percent compared to the previous year. Many that made the cut were new media companies such as Perfect World, Wanda Culture and Phoenix Publishing.