From Static Preservation to Dynamic Activation: A Chain-Mediated Model of Community Participation in Intangible Cultural Heritage Transmission

As a national Lingnan intangible cultural heritage, Dongguan’s Qian Jiao Lantern—featuring thousand-bamboo frames and oil lamps symbolizing clan prosperity—faces extinction due to aging inheritors (<5 remaining) and prolonged crafting cycles (3–6 months/lantern), with no new lanterns produced since 2010. Analysis of 410 potential inheritors revealed that its cultural transmission hinges on youth engagement in community affairs (Q4: β=0.202; Q5: β=0.204), forming a “cognition-action” pathway contributing 13.3% dissemination efficacy (95% CI[0.007,0.060]). Youth (18–30) exhibited 3.7 times stronger pathway activation than elders. Quantifying generational participation gaps enables shifting heritage preservation from “static rescue” to youth-driven dynamic revitalization, reshaping community ecology and offering a replicable human-centric paradigm for ICH sustainability.