Qiaopi Network and Art Ecosystem: A Study on the Art Sponsorship Mechanism in Southern Fujian

This study examines the Qiaopi network in Southern Fujian to explore how transnational capital flows promoted the formation of local art production and cultural ecosystems during the first half of the twentieth century. It analyzes the operational mechanisms of the remittance system, the direction of capital flows, and their multifaceted impacts on folk art creation, architectural styles, and art education. Additionally, it investigates the localization of Nanyang visual elements under official cultural control. The research indicates that the Qiaopi network functioned not merely as an economic support system but as a mechanism for cultural transmission and reciprocity, embodying the agency of overseas Chinese in shaping their homeland’s cultural development within a globalized context. The artistic ecosystem of Southern Fujian gradually took shape through this structural process, revealing the diversity and complexity of non-Western paths to modernity.