International Digital Image Index 2025 Unveiled, Spotlighting China’s Top Cities in Cyberspace

BEIJING, Dec. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On December 28, 2025, The School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China (RUC) and School of Journalism and Communication Chongqing University jointly released the International Digital Image Index of Chinese Cities (2025) in Chongqing.

The index set out an evaluation framework assessing the international online image of 106 Chinese cities. It drew on industry data, overseas media coverage, and overseas social media data, and applied big data analytics using tools and platforms including the Zhihuixingguang Daoding database and CISION One database.

The assessment system was built on three dimensions: international communication power, international influence and international recognition. According to the index, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen ranked among the leading cities on its measures of international online image. Large regional cities including Fuzhou, Xiamen and Ningbo also ranked highly and drew attention in international online discussions.

The index highlighted featured cases across the three dimensions. Beijing, Shanghai, Zhongshan and Chongqing were named in the communication category, while Fuzhou, Yiwu, Xiamen, Ningbo, Kaifeng and Yantai were listed for international influence and Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan and Shanghai for international recognition.

Lu Jiayin, the project leader and a professor at Renmin University of China, described the index as more than a ranking list, arguing that a city’s international online image is increasingly shaped by “online communication and audience resonance” rather than by population or economic size alone.

Zhou Yong, dean of School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China, said international communication must go beyond simply “sending messages out. “He added, “It is not merely a translation of language, but a dialogue among civilizations, a connection of emotions, and a resonance of values .”

Hu Baoxiang, president of the China Cities News Media Alliance, described the index as a multi-source assessment and suggested the framework could serve as a methodological reference for cities seeking to improve their international communication.

The School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China (RUC) was founded in 1955. With more than sixty years of continuous development, it has become a nationally acclaimed institution for journalism and communication education, a leader in education reform and innovation, and an important platform for global journalism and communication education exchanges. In the four rounds of national disciplinary evaluations conducted by the Ministry of Education of China, its Journalism and Communication Discipline has been consistently ranked No. 1. In 2017, it has been inducted into the Chinese “Double First-Class” discipline plan.

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SOURCE The School of Journalism and Communication at Renmin University of China