Volume 8,Issue 9
Development Ideas for Local Cultural and Creative Products for Leizhou Guniang Ballad from the Perspective of Intangible Cultural Heritage Revitalization
As a national-level intangible cultural heritage inscribed in 2021, Leizhou Guniang Ballad is a dialect-based talking-singing art from the Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong. Under the current policy of ICH revitalization and rural cultural revitalization, its survival faces challenges such as aging inheritors, shrinking audiences, and weak creative transformation. From the perspective of living heritage revitalization, this paper examines the local cultural foundations of Guniang Ballad—its Leizhou dialect, antiphonal singing form, and folk-life connotations—and identifies major shortcomings in existing cultural and creative products, including limited product forms, superficial symbol extraction, and a closed, aging audience. On this basis, it proposes four development paths: scenario-based experiential products that restore song-hall atmosphere; lightweight digital and physical products integrated into daily life; in-situ cultural tourism products linking heritage protection with regional tourism; and youth co-creation projects to cultivate endogenous creative power. The paper argues that only by rooting in local culture and retaining the dialect charm and core artistic spirit while adapting to contemporary aesthetics and consumption can Guniang Ballad be transformed from a protected heritage into a participatory, consumable, and communicable living culture, thereby supporting its sustainable inheritance and local cultural-economic development.
[1] Qin Z, Yang Z, 2019, The Logic and Path of Creative Transformation of Cultural Heritage. The Central Plains Culture Research, 7(5): 51–59.
[2] Cheng Y, Chen J, Huang Y, et al., 2022, Research on the Living Inheritance and Productization Paths of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Journal of Nanjing University of Science and Technology (Social Sciences Edition), 35(1): 30–37.
[3] Gao J, Gao Y, 2022, Cultural Innovation of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Dialectical “Backward Undertaking” and “Forward Undertaking”. Journal of Nanjing University of Science and Technology (Social Sciences Edition), 35(1): 38–45.
[4] Dong G, 2021, A Study on the Evolution of Rhyme in Leizhou Folk Songs over the Past Century. Journal of Cross-Strait Humanities, 1(4): 65–73.
[5] Chen H, 2008, An Analysis of the Origin and Artistic Characteristics of Leizhou Folk Songs. Journal of Xinjiang Arts University, 6(2): 50–52.
[6] He A, 2013, On the Guniang ballad of Leizhou. Folk Culture Forum, 2013(1): 102–112.
[7] Cai J, 2013, The Types and Structures of Leizhou Song Modes. Art Research (Journal of Harbin Normal University Art School), 2013(3): 64–67.
[8] Gan Y, 2021, A Theoretical Analysis of the Artistic Classification of the Yuexi Guniang Ballad and its Practical Significance. Journal of Lingnan Normal University, 42(2): 112–117.
[9] Gan Y, 2016, On the Cultural Connotation of the Protection and Inheritance of the Guniang Ballad. Art Appreciation, 2016(20): 42–44.
[10] Huang Y, 2017, An Analysis of the Inheritors of the Leizhou “Guniang” Ballad from the Perspective of Communication Subject Theory. Contemporary Music, 2017(18): 40–42.
[11] Zhang N, Guo C, 2016, The Historical Memory of the Leizhou “Guniang” Ballad. Art Criticism, 2016(2): 127–133.