Promoting Intangible Cultural Heritage through New Media: A Case Study of Nuo Culture Dissemination by a Chinese NGO

Abstract

This study aims to explore how non-governmental organizations (NGOs) navigate the balance between tradition and innovation in the preservation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in the rapidly digitalizing world. Focusing on the Anshun Mask and Nuo Sculpture Culture Company’s promotional efforts on new media platforms, this research examines how digital storytelling and visual culture enhance public engagement with Nuo culture, an indigenous ICH facing contemporary challenges. Guided by the Stimulus–Organism–Response (S-O-R) framework as a sensitizing concept, the study interprets how media-based stimuli evoke internal cognitive and emotional reactions that influence audience engagement with cultural content. Based on three months of ethnographic fieldwork and 13 semi-structured interviews with multiple stakeholders involved in ICH transmission and promotion, this study investigates how NGOs utilize digital platforms to communicate cultural value and foster meaningful youth engagement. Findings indicated that visually engaging, context-based communication on new media platforms is particularly effective in capturing the attention of younger audiences and raising cultural consciousness. The study also highlights both the opportunities and tensions that NGOs are struggling with in their efforts to advocate for both intangible and tangible cultural heritage preservation in an increasingly complex media landscape.