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Value Transmission in Flux: Evolving Civic Education in Incense Fire Dragon Dance Rituals of Hunan-Guangdong-Jiangxi

Author(s)

Taiwen Tang

Affiliation(s)

Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Loudi, Hunan, China

Abstract

Against the backdrop of accelerating modernization and urbanization, the adaptive transformation of traditional culture and the regeneration of its educational functions have become critical issues. This study focuses on the culturally diverse region at the junction of Hunan, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces, taking the nationally listed intangible cultural heritage, the Incense Fire Dragon Dance (Xianghuo Long), as its subject. It investigates how this tradition achieves creative transformation amid rapid social change—shifting from its traditional functions of blessing, disaster prevention, clan cohesion, and ethical education to modern civic educational functions such as public participation, cultural identity, and social responsibility. Through field research in the border region and an integrated literature review, this study reveals the systematic mechanisms behind the functional evolution of the Incense Fire Dragon Dance Ritual. Findings indicate that by leveraging its deep community roots and dynamic adaptability, the Incense Fire Dragon Dance has progressively evolved into a vital cultural practice for cultivating civic literacy. Its evolutionary logic embodies the creative reconciliation of the relationships between tradition and modernity, state and locality, and individual and community. From the moral theory education perspective, this study offers a mechanistic explanation for the modern educational value transformation of intangible cultural heritage. It also provides theoretical and practical pathways for leveraging local cultural resources to innovate civic education, strengthen the sense of community for the Chinese nation, and deepen grassroots social governance.

Keywords

Incense Fire Dragon Dance; Civic Education; Hunan – Guangdong - Jiangxi Border Region; Moral Theory Education

References

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