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Visual Translation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Resources and IP Character Design: A Case Study of Cultural Tourism Image Design of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shaanxi Province



Author(s)

ZHONG Xinya, YANG Biwei, GONG Zhaoyang

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DOI:10.17265/2161-623X/2026.10.009

Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China； East China University of Technology, Nanchang, China

Under the current context of deep culture-tourism integration, the ways in which intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is communicated are undergoing transformation. No longer confined to static museum displays and traditional folk-custom scenarios, ICH increasingly calls for modern communication approaches that align with public aesthetics and appeal to younger audiences. Shaanxi Province possesses a rich and diverse array of ICH resources with distinctive characteristics and a profound regional cultural heritage; however, the external promotion of most ICH projects remains conventional, and their visual presentation is outdated and rigid, lacking a youthful and systematic visual identity, which makes it difficult to build memorable impressions and communication influence among young people. Taking Heyang Huamo (flower-shaped steamed dough art) of Shaanxi as the specific research subject and drawing on theories of visual translation, this paper reviews the overall status of cultural tourism visual design for Shaanxi’s ICH, analyzes the homogenization problem prevalent in the industry, and investigates the aesthetic preferences of young people and the characteristics of new media communication. On the basis of a complete theoretical review and status analysis, the paper extracts the representative visual symbols of Heyang Huamo and completes the overall design of two exclusive cultural tourism IP characters, Huanuobao and Hudundun. While preserving the folk-custom connotations and cultural core of traditional Huamo, the design reconstructs the visual images with a modern cartoon formal language, and further develops a series of derivative visual designs, including multi-pose character extensions, themed posters, and business cards. This design practice demonstrates that the reasonable simplification and cartoon-style translation of traditional ICH visual elements can effectively meet the aesthetic needs of contemporary youth, break the outdated and rigid visual impression of traditional ICH, and provide a practical reference for the innovative design and rollout of similar ICH cultural tourism IPs in the Shaanxi region.

intangible cultural heritage, visual translation, IP character, intangible cultural heritage cultural tourism

ZHONG Xinya, YANG Biwei, GONG Zhaoyang. (2026). Visual Translation of Intangible Cultural Heritage Resources and IP Character Design: A Case Study of Cultural Tourism Image Design of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Shaanxi Province. US-China Education Review A, October 2026, Vol. 16, No. 10, 750-757.