A study on cultural narratives, spirit of place, and cultural identity of the Zhuang culture in Jiuzhou, Jingxi, from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage education

Abstract

While retaining the core themes of research into the Zhuang culture of Jiuzhou, Jingxi, this paper incorporates perspectives drawn from Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) education, local curricula, and cultural identity education. The study focuses on three core narrative elements within the Zhuang culture of Jiuzhou—cultural memory, folk rituals, and spatial symbolism—and explores how these elements generate a "spirit of place" through local spaces, collective practices, and symbolic systems. Furthermore, it examines how this spirit of place subsequently influences the construction of cultural identity among local residents and youth populations. Drawing upon literature reviews, fieldwork, interviews, questionnaires, and case studies, the paper argues that the Zhuang culture of Jiuzhou serves not only as a vital subject for local cultural research but also as a significant educational resource capable of being transformed into local curricula, school-based courses, aesthetic education activities, and comprehensive practical projects. Its educational value is primarily manifested in four aspects: first, providing schools in ethnic minority regions with curriculum content grounded in the local context; second, offering authentic contexts for the cultivation of cultural identity among adolescents; third, serving as a practical, actionable vehicle for ICH education, aesthetic education, and labor education; and fourth, providing pathways to support collaborative educational efforts among schools, local communities, ICH workshops, and cultural tourism spaces. The study concludes that the living transmission of local ethnic culture should not remain confined to the realms of mere display and consumption; rather, it should be integrated into the educational system through processes of curricularization, activity-based engagement, and spatial contextualization, thereby achieving a synergistic unity among cultural preservation, identity formation, and educational development.

Keywords: Intangible cultural heritage education, Zhuang culture, spirit of place, cultural identity, local curriculum.

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