Decoding the Nordic fantasy: a study of cultural translation mechanisms on rednote

Abstract This paper examines how Nordic branding and cultural imagery are emotionally reinterpreted by Chinese users on social media platform rednote. While existing research emphasizes nation branding from a strategic or institutional perspective, this study focuses on everyday digital reception and symbolic adaptation. To explain this process, the paper proposes the Chinese Filter—a three-stage framework comprising perceptual anchoring, platform-aligned expression, and iterative re-signification. This model captures how global symbols are not directly received, but transformed into emotionally resonant and culturally usable narratives. Based on digital ethnography and textual analysis, the research analyzes content from rednote. Across the platform, Nordic signs such as minimalism, emotional calm, or gender equality are reframed to fit local emotional vocabularies and expressive norms. The study’s findings suggest that the “Nordic fantasy” in China is less a projection of Nordic self-imagery and more a product of localized emotional labor and symbolic repurposing. The Chinese Filter offers a conceptual tool to understand how global images gain meaning within localized digital discourse. This research contributes to studies on cultural reception, transnational branding, and platform-mediated meaning-making. Future work may apply interviews or quantitative methods to deepen insight into audience intention and symbolic negotiation.