共生理论视角下中韩青年在跨文化交流中的作用

Abstract

This study explores the roles and multifaceted functions of Chinese and Korean youth in transnational cultural exchanges within the context of globalization, while further analyzing the potential and challenges they encounter in fostering bilateral relations. Despite the growing importance of youth in Sino-Korean cultural exchanges, current academic research lacks systematic empirical studies on their specific roles, thus necessitating an investigation from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Using the symbiosis theory as its analytical framework, this research focuses on how youth in both countries achieve mutual dependence and collaborative development through cultural interactions. The study examines their contributions in areas such as cultural dissemination, cognitive development, and institutional mechanisms, highlighting their unique value in promoting cross-cultural understanding and cooperation. A qualitative research approach is adopted, which involves in-depth interviews with Chinese and Korean youth. Through a combination of meaning-centered and language-centered analysis, the study extracts experiential patterns and cultural cognitive structures from the youth’s interactions. The findings reveal that Chinese and Korean youth exhibit a strong sense of agency in expanding their cognitive boundaries and co-constructing institutional frameworks. Despite facing challenges such as language barriers, cultural differences, and communication misunderstandings, they drive the transformation of cultural exchanges from individual participation to structural support, demonstrating a strong cooperative vision and proactivity. The study further identifies four symbiotic mechanisms, including empathic symbiosis. At a theoretical level, youth navigate four pathways—such as interactive generation—to transition from individual communication to institutional construction, showcasing the subjectivity and collaborative development of cross-cultural symbiosis mechanisms. Based on these findings, the study suggests focusing on policy and institutional frameworks, platform development, and cross-cultural education to establish a more inclusive, sustainable, and symbiotically-oriented cultural exchange ecosystem for Chinese and Korean youth.