This study examines how digital visual technologies, digital cinematography/grading, and virtual production fundamentally reinvent aesthetic expressions of “Chineseness” in contemporary Chinese cinema (post-2000). Moving beyond instrumentalist perspectives, it argues that these tools act as constitutive forces that actively reshape cinematic narratives of national identity, historical memory, and cultural tradition. Through close analysis of films such as The Wandering Earth (Gwo, 2019), Shadow (Zhang, 2018), and Creation of the Gods I (Wuershan, 2023), the research demonstrates: (1) CGI/SFX reconstructs history with synthetic realism (The Eight Hundred) and reimagines mythology through digitally born spectacle; (2) Digital cinematography/grading reinterprets ink-wash aesthetics (Shadow) and constructs psychogeographies of modernity (Long Day’s Journey into Night); (3) Virtual production enables immersive “Chinese spaces” that blend historical authenticity with directorial control. The study reveals how technology mediates between tradition and innovation—facilitating hybrid aesthetics that assert cultural specificity within global visual flows while navigating tensions between technological authority and cultural authenticity. Ultimately, it positions Chinese filmmakers as key agents in defining cinema’s digital future.