Practical Dilemmas and Mechanism Innovation in Polycentric Co-governance of Chinese Folk Dragon Boat Events

Background and Aim: This study investigates the practical dilemmas and mechanism innovation pathways of multi-stakeholder collaborative governance in Chinese folk dragon boat events. Grounded in the theoretical framework of collaborative governance, the research aims to decode the governance dynamics by integrating six core variables—actor behaviors, goal orientation, institutional safeguards, driving forces, ecological contexts, and comprehensive effectiveness. Materials and Methods: The study employs an interdisciplinary methodology combining public administration, cultural sociology, and complexity science. A "cultural-institutional dual analysis framework" is constructed to analyze the governance dynamics of folk dragon boat events. Results: Three regional governance models are identified—the ritual-autonomous type, government-led type, and market-embedded type—exhibiting a spectrum from "cultural essentialism" to "pragmatic syncretism." The ontological structure of collaborative governance manifests four interactive mechanisms—ritualized authority negotiation, institutional bricolage, cultural capital conversion, and ecological field coupling—revealing the dialectical unity between cultural path dependence and institutional innovation. A "dual-drive governance framework" is proposed, elucidating how cultural sacredness (e.g., clan taboos) and institutional rationality (e.g., safety regulations) co-evolve through "procedural sacralization." Conclusion: Theoretically, the study advances the concept of cultural viscosity and constructs a complex adaptive mechanism model, challenging linear governance paradigms. Practically, it designs a differentiated synergy matrix to guide culturally-grounded policy implementation. The findings position folk cultural governance as a "social laboratory" for institutional modernization, offering paradigmatic insights for global intangible cultural heritage governance. Future research should expand cross-cultural comparative studies and develop digital governance tools.