Research on the Inheritance and Design of Madam Xian's Cultural Heritage in Social Innovation

Abstract

With the rapid development of globalization and informatization, human society is undergoing significant transformation. This transformation not only affects human survival, production, and lifestyle but also prompts profound reflections on social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects. Achieving a balance between social, economic, and environmental benefits on the basis of economic development, while promoting traditional culture and improving people's quality of life, has become a pressing issue. In 2003, UNESCO adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, establishing "revitalization" and "re-creation" as core goals of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) protection. Since the Chinese State Council announced the first batch of national representative ICH projects in 2006, the interest in ICH has continuously increased. Government efforts to protect and transmit ICH have intensified, academic attention has risen, and public enthusiasm has surged. This has led to the integration of ICH into the participation of multiple stakeholders, including government, researchers, modern design and art practitioners, cultural tourism operators, and consumers. It has also fostered the development of cultural and creative design and social innovation. In the context of rapid global information exchange, the inheritance and innovation of ICH face unprecedented opportunities and challenges. While the uniqueness and diversity of ICH offer infinite potential for innovation, the global cultural exchange requires joint efforts from government, academia, design and art practitioners, cultural tourism operators, and consumers to achieve balanced growth in social, economic, and environmental benefits, thereby enhancing people's quality of life. Madam Xian's culture, an influential ICH in Guangdong and Hainan provinces, serves as the research subject. The author employed various research methods, including literature review, case analysis, comparative analysis, network analysis, and social surveys, to deeply explore the core values of inheriting and innovating Madam Xian's culture in social innovation. Elements and structures of inheritance and innovative design were extracted. Combining theory with practice, the research outcomes were applied in organizational practices in Gaozhou, Maoming, the birthplace of Madam Xian's culture in the Lingnan region of Guangdong, with a focus on cultural products and story illustrations designed for the "Z Generation." Based on this research, this paper takes Madam Xian's culture as an example to explore the development status and trends of cultural and creative design and social innovation from the perspectives of East and West. It aims to provide new perspectives, ideas, and methods for the inheritance and innovative design of ICH and its modern value transformation.