The Fengshen Universe: Transmedia World-Building and Cultural IP of Fengshen Yanyi
| International Journal of Communication and Media Science |
| © 2025 by SSRG - IJCMS Journal |
| Volume 12 Issue 3 |
| Year of Publication : 2025 |
| Authors : Nguyen Thi Hang, Yang Huaiyuan, Ali Khan Shahryar, Nguyen Van Thang |
10.14445/2349641X/IJCMS-V12I3P101
How to Cite?
Nguyen Thi Hang, Yang Huaiyuan, Ali Khan Shahryar, Nguyen Van Thang, "The Fengshen Universe: Transmedia World-Building and Cultural IP of Fengshen Yanyi," SSRG International Journal of Communication and Media Science, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 1-8, 2025. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/2349641X/IJCMS-V12I3P101
Abstract:
This study surveys the ongoing adaptation of Fengshen yanyi (Investiture of the Gods) in China's changing media ecology and offers the working concept of a “Fengshen Universe” to make sense of a new pattern of overlapping film, animation, and digital projects with cross-media engagement. Grounded on a literature review and a case-based exploration of some recent titles, it argues that two primary modes of adaptation have come to the fore, a blockbuster mode centered on a historical-fantasy world and a remake mode driven by the reproduction of key characters in animation; and that these two modes are influenced by three dynamic and mutually reinforcing forces, social changes, public taste, and new media. The study maps out what is carried over or redefined in the canonical cosmological framework, value system (agency, filiality, pedagogy), and plot configuration, and how publics are accommodated by selective re-emplotment. The role of transmedia strategies and fan engagement is highlighted in the extension of coverage and maintenance of public interest. The study also has implications for the industry as the adaptation of a popular classic into a shared universe could form a strong cultural IP, and that studios with transmedia planning and coordination are more likely to establish strong brand; but it is also found that in general, limited by worldbuilding, intertextual coordination, and lack of experience in IP governance, the story world of Fengshen has yet to reach its full potential. Based on these insights, this study proposes an interdisciplinary research agenda, including comparative media studies, reception studies across cultures, and industry-scholar collaboration for theoretical inquiries and practical designs to nourish a dynamic Fengshen Universe.
Keywords:
Fengshen yanyi (Investiture of the Gods), Transmedia storytelling, Chinese mythology, Cultural Intellectual Property (cultural-IP).
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