Embodiment, Recreation, and Empathy: The Narrative Paradigm Shift of Qiaoxiang Intangible Cultural Heritage Cross-Cultural Communication Driven by Generative AI

Abstract

In the context of the deep integration of digital technology iteration and cultural heritage protection, the cross-cultural communication of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in Qiaoxiang (hometowns of overseas Chinese) is undergoing a paradigm shift from "digital storage" to "intelligent generation." As a significant source of Chinese overseas migration culture, Jiangmen Qiaoxiang's ICH resources carry unique diasporic memories and ethnic identities. However, facing the intergenerational gap of the new generation of overseas Chinese and the contextual barriers of heterogeneous cultures, traditional static display and one-way communication modes have become ineffective. Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC), with its powerful multimodal generation, deep semantic understanding, and human-computer interaction capabilities, provides ontological technical support for reconstructing the communication field of Qiaoxiang ICH. Based on theories of media ecology, phenomenology of perception, and narratology, this paper deeply analyzes the triple narrative paradigm shift of Qiaoxiang ICH communication driven by Generative AI: the shift from visual gaze to embodied immersion in "presence" narratives, utilizing multi-sensory channels to reshape the hometown experience of diasporic groups; the shift from static replication to creative generation in "recreation" narratives, activating the endogenous power of ICH through the modern translation of cultural symbols by algorithms; and the shift from one-way inculcation to emotional resonance in "empathy" narratives, rebuilding intergenerational emotional connections through anthropomorphic interaction and affective computing. The study suggests that AIGC is not merely a technical tool but a generative force reconstructing Qiaoxiang cultural memory and identity. By building a "human-machine collaborative" living inheritance mechanism, it can effectively dissolve the "cultural discount" in cross-cultural communication and realize the global expression and localized acceptance of excellent traditional Chinese culture.