Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) serves as a
vital repository of China's traditional culture and a cornerstone for fostering
cultural confidence and national soft power. As global ICH safeguarding shifts
toward "high-quality development and sustainable transmission," young
people—positioned as both carriers of cultural continuity and agents of
innovation—have become central to whether ICH can achieve genuine "living
heritage" status. Situated within China's 14th Five-Year Plan period and
drawing on international frameworks such as the "livelihood turn" and
"polyphonic communication," this study systematically examines three
interrelated dilemmas in ICH transmission among Chinese youth: the inheritor gap, cognitive disconnection, and
superficial digital
dissemination. In response, we propose a synergistic
"youth engagement" model centred on endogenous motivation,
technological empowerment, industrial integration and community co-creation,
complemented by a three-dimensional communication strategy characterised by
refinement, interactivity and empathy. By coupling transmission pathways with
communication strategies, this research seeks systematic solutions for
activating youth agency in heritage transmission and perpetuating the cultural
code of Chinese tradition.
