Research on the Deep Integration of Miao Ethnic Culture and Rural Industrial Revitalization

This paper explores the specific pathways for the deep integration of Miao ethnic culture and rural revitalization from four dimensions: the importance of deep integration, existing problems, the positioning of Miao cultural industry development, and corresponding countermeasures.

Keywords: Miao ethnic culture; Rural revitalization; Deep integration

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed the Rural Revitalization Strategy, setting the overarching goal of “thriving businesses, pleasant living environments, social etiquette and civility, effective governance, and prosperity.” President Xi Jinping further articulated the “Five Revitalizations”: industrial, talent, cultural, ecological, and organizational revitalization.

Among these, cultural revitalization is the soul, industrial revitalization is the focus, talent revitalization is the cornerstone, ecological revitalization is the key, and organizational revitalization is the guarantee. However, rural areas face numerous constraints hindering revitalization, such as severe hollowing-out, empty-nest elderly, accelerating population aging, and inadequate pension security. The Seventh National Population Census reveals that among China’s 510 million rural residents, approximately 200 million are aged 60 or above. Finding local employment is extremely difficult. Young people flock to cities to earn a living, making the traditional “raising children for old age” model unrealistic. With urbanization and industrialization, most adult children work far from home year-round, lacking the time or capacity to care for their parents. Not only is filial piety difficult to practice in rural settings, but parents often become unpaid childcare providers for left-behind grandchildren, leading to intergenerational education challenges. Additional issues include low grain prices, widespread farmland abandonment, an aging agricultural workforce (typically 60–70 years old), a generational break in farming, severe gender imbalances, a surplus of rural bachelors, talent shortages, a clifflike drop-in birth rates, idle school buildings, soil pollution, declining education quality, rampant materialism, cultural impoverishment, and weak spiritual civilization construction. To address these profound rural challenges, we must pursue a path that deeply integrates ethnic culture with rural revitalization. Industrial revitalization is the core and focus. The hollowing-out of rural industries is the primary driver of rural depopulation. Without industrial revitalization, talent, cultural, ecological, and organizational revitalization cannot be realized. Industrial revitalization is the pivotal hub for resolving most rural issues. Based on this premise, this paper explores the specific pathways for deeply integrating Miao culture with rural industrial revitalization.

If people cannot be retained, how can rural revitalization be discussed? Revitalization is not measured by the number of roads paved, streetlights installed, or houses built, but by how many people remain in the village. What keeps people there? Only income! Without increased villager income, rural revitalization remains a pipe dream. Only financial returns can retain locals and attract returnees. Families need money for food, child-rearing, education, elderly care, and medical expenses. Without income, survival and development are impossible. What advantages do villages hold? Which industries can generate sustainable profit? How should industries be structured for long-term profitability? These are the core questions for rural revitalization, not empty slogans. If people could earn a living at their doorsteps, who would choose to migrate for work?

Miao cultural resources are a veritable treasure trove and a massive goldmine capable of generating immense wealth. At this historic juncture of China’s national rejuvenation, how should Miao regions be guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era? How can they implement the central government’s Cultural Powerhouse and Rural Revitalization strategies? How can they forge a path of Miao cultural confidence? How should the Miao cultural industry be developed? How can cultural resources be fully leveraged to revitalize Miao village economies? How can the cultural industry be scientifically planned and laid out? How can industry chains be built? How can ancient Miao culture be rejuvenated and its industrial vitality stimulated? How can protection and orderly development proceed hand in hand? Amidst the nationwide rush to develop cultural tourism, Miao regions must think rationally: how to leverage unique cultural resource advantages, protect and develop them effectively, apply modern business thinking to planning and strategy, attract private and international capital, and build beautiful Miao villages? With these considerations in mind, this paper is presented.

To implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, this paper uses Miao cultural resources as its foundation, examining from economic and financial perspectives how to solve the challenge of protecting ancient Miao cultural relics while promoting comprehensive socio-economic development in Miao villages. China’s Miao cultural resources are exceptionally rich. How can they be scientifically and vigorously developed for cultural tourism? How can “Miao culture” serve as the foundation, “innovation” as the soul, and “industrialization of Miao culture” as the driving force to further build beautiful, charming, ecological, cultural, and economically vibrant Miao villages? How can the Miao rural economy be revitalized and the global Miao cultural brand elevated? How should Miao regions pursue culturaltourism integration? What economic development strategy should be adopted, and why? How can development momentum and economic vitality be activated? How should the industrial layout be structured? How can Miao culture serve as a medium to vigorously develop cultural industries?

Miao culture is a brilliant cultural name card that requires careful crafting. Vigorously developing the deep integration of Miao culture and tourism can drive synergistic development across related industries. It also serves as a “smokeless industry” that meets people’s leisure and recreational needs.

Cultural-tourism integration can stimulate catering, hospitality, transportation, handicraft manufacturing, performing arts, and entertainment, thereby broadening employment, increasing tax revenue and local incomes. It is an inevitable choice for enriching and revitalizing the Miao people.

Developing and invigorating the Miao cultural industry not only effectively protects historical and cultural heritage but also meets the imperative for industrial transformation and upgrading. Guided by the Five Concepts of Development, the dual circulation paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay, and the national strategy to expand domestic demand, economic growth must shift from the extensive “three troikas” (investment, exports, consumption) and a quantity/scale/speed-driven model to a connotative development path driven by quality, technology, and efficiency. Regions must transform their development models, fully leverage the Miao cultural brand, and pursue a green, low-carbon, and environmentally sustainable path through cultural-tourism integration. Deeply integrating Miao culture with industrial revitalization is also an objective requirement for enhancing Miao cultural soft power.

Reviewing the nationwide integration of Miao culture and industrial revitalization reveals many encouraging achievements. However, varying levels of emphasis across regions have led to uneven development, primarily manifested in the following areas:

1. Insufficient excavation of Miao cultural tourism resources

2. Inadequate building of Miao cultural brands.

3. Unreasonable overall layout of Miao cultural industry development.

4. Insufficiently extended Miao cultural industry chains.

5. Lack of scaled Miao cultural industry clusters.

6. Shortage of talents for Miao cultural industry development.

7. Lack of effective business models for cultural industry development.

8. Low technological content in cultural industry development.

9. Low level of digitalization in cultural industry development.

10. Unrefined design of Miao cultural tourism routes.

11. Insufficient variety of Miao cultural tourism products.

12. Limited experiential tourism offerings in cultural industry

13. Incomplete supporting facilities for cultural industry development.

Strategic Positioning

Pengshui Miao and Tujia Autonomous County in Chongqing can develop the “One Landmark, Three Bases” for Miao culture: establish Pengshui’s Chiyou culture as an eternal cultural landmark for the world’s Miao villages, and position Pengshui as the authoritative interpretation site, standard-setting hub, and central gathering place for the Chiyou Worship Festival. Pengshui should collaborate with other Miao-rich regions, such as Shihao Town and Anwen Town in Qijiang District (Chongqing), Chengbu and Xiangxi (Hunan), Xijiang Thousand-Household Miao Village and Wudong Miao Village in Leishan (Guizhou), and Miao areas in Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hubei, and Sichuan, to build a culturaltourism integration community featuring shared resources, co-built markets, interconnected information and policies, and shared benefits. This will form a grand pattern of large scenic areas, industries, development, markets, and linkages for the deep integration of Miao culture and rural industrial revitalization.

Market Positioning

<1>Miao culture & natural ecology；<2>Miao culture & study farms；<3>Miao culture & Miao medicine wellness；<4>Miao culture & folk performing arts；<5>Miao culture & Miao language education；<6>Miao culture & Miao costume exhibitions；<7>Miao culture & local specialty exhibitions；<8>Miao culture & folk performances；<9>Miao culture & Miao festivals；<10>Miao culture & film/TV creation bases；<11>Miao culture & Miao folk music；<12>Miao culture & Miao folk dance；<13>Miao culture & traditional handicrafts；<14>Miao culture & Miao sports events；<15>Miao culture & Miao medicine R&D；<16>Miao culture & Miao liquor brewing；<17>Miao culture & Miao cuisine；<18>Miao culture & Miao tea；<19>Miao culture & experiential study tour design

Product Positioning

Develop a wide array of cultural and creative products that highlight Miao culture, such as Miao cuisine, wellness liquor, traditional dance, costumes, tea, herbal medicine, village specialties, health supplements, and musical instruments.

Regional Positioning

Highlight local Miao cultural characteristics by establishing Miao Culture Parks and Chiyou Culture Parks. Regions can be zoned according to the distribution of Miao dialects, integrating distinct cultural traits with tailored industrial revitalization strategies. The Miao language belongs to the Hmongic branch of the Hmong-Mien language family. It is divided into three major dialects (Xiangxi/ Eastern, Qiandong/Central, Chuanqiandian/Western), seven subdialects, and 18 local variants.

Xiangxi (Eastern) Dialect: Mainly spoken in Xiangxi Prefecture, Songtao County, Enshi, Xuan’en, Laifeng, and Hefeng in Hubei, and Pengshui, Xiushan, and Youyang in Chongqing (5 variants).

Qiandong (Central) Dialect: Mainly spoken in Qiandong Prefecture, Rongshui and Sanjiang in Guangxi, Jingzhou and Huitong in Hunan, and parts of Anshun, Qianxinan, and Qiannan in Guizhou (5 variants).

Chuanqiandian (Western) Dialect: Mainly spoken across central, western, southern, and northern Guizhou, southern Sichuan, and Yunnan Province (8 variants). Some Miao communities also speak Chinese, Dong, Yao, Bouyei, Zhuang, and other languages.

Thematic Positioning

Specialized tours: Miao customs & folk culture, Chiyou rootseeking, Miao festivals, and dragon boat racing experiences. Interactive experiences: “Try” Miao dance and etiquette, “Taste”特 色 cuisine, “Wear” traditional costumes, “Stay” in ethnic dwellings, “Make” handicrafts. Festival subdivisions: Chiyou Worship Festival, Caishan Festival, Tiaoshan Festival, Tiaohua Festival, Chixin Festival, Miao New Year, April 8 Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Ganqiu Festival (also known as Jiaoqiu or Qiushe), Zengdai Festival, Yangma Festival, Naochong Festival, etc. For example, the Ganqiu Festival in Xiangxi (mainly Huayuan County, Jishou City, Fenghuang County, Luxi County) is one of the richest, most complete, and most vibrant traditional ethnic festivals, serving as an encyclopedia of Miao art and culture. A cultural circle of approximately 2 million people has formed across Xiangxi, Xiushan (Chongqing), Songtao (Guizhou), and Laifeng (Hubei). It is listed as a UNESCO.

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and is hailed as a “living fossil of the 24 solar terms.” Activities include worship rituals, gate-blocking, dragon-receiving, eight-person swings, Miao drum performances, martial arts, Liujin Sidao dance, knife-ladder climbing, and cattle beating. Integrating traditional sports, dragon/lion dances, performances, exhibitions, and youth social activities further enriches the festival.

Functional Positioning

Digital empowerment, technological empowerment, educational empowerment, wellness empowerment, industrial empowerment.

Theme Positioning

Promote deep integration of Miao culture with agriculture, tourism, sports, and wellness industries, enabling multi-channel conversion of cultural value. Highlight Miao cultural characteristics, establish industrial development clusters, and strengthen culturaltourism integration. Implement one-stop “eat, stay, travel, play, shop” services in Miao regions, developing themed villages, streets, communities, routes, scenic spots, products, restaurants, hotels, festivals, exhibitions, cruises, study tours, galas, performances, and poetry recitations. This will create nationally recognized classic tourism routes themed around intangible cultural heritage. Furthermore, Pengshui will host a China Miao Culture Film & Television Base and a World Miao Village Chiyou Worship Base. Documentaries like Chiyou and 影视剧 based on Miao legends will be produced, forming a Miao cultural film & television network radiating from Pengshui to Miao areas in Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Hainan. This will comprehensively promote Miao culture and elevate the brands of Chiyou and Miao culture.

Macro Strategic Planning With the dynamic inheritance and promotion of Miao culture

As its core purpose, implement a “Miao Culture + Agriculture + Education + Wellness” model to transform Miao culture into a sustainable cultural and creative industry. Relying on Miao farms (manors, nurseries, orchards, flower fields, farmlands, forests), Miao Culture Memorial Halls, Miao Costume Museums, and Miao Cultural Centers as bases, disseminate and promote Miao culture. Expose children and students to Miao culture from an early age. Provide planning and operational services for parent-child activities in Miao villages, farms, scenic areas, and communities. Establish service agencies for family-friendly Miao product supply. Truly achieve integration of culture-agriculture, culture-tourism, culture-education, and culture-wellness, deeply merging Miao culture with industrial revitalization to foster good morals and physical fitness in children. Services will include: Miao cultural lectures, nature science education in Miao villages, inheritance of Miao farming culture, Miao medicine education, parent-child activity design & execution (spring/autumn outings, summer/ winter camps), Miao village labor experience courses, and Miao sports expansion courses.

Specific Strategic Plans for Miao Cultural Industry Development

Conduct activities to promote Miao culture: (1) Establish parent-child Miao culture education courses. (2) Host Miao Cultural Tourism Festivals: Use festivals as vehicles to drive integration with local industries, “selling products, experiences, culture, sentiments, lifestyle, and health.” (3) Organize Miao Family Banquet & Cuisine Forums: Allow families to taste and experience dishes, research and discuss Miao culinary culture, and inherit/promote Miao food and liquor traditions. (4) Launch Miao Cultural Tourism Product Exhibitions: Feature crafts, agricultural specialties, and performances through Miao-themed manor festivals and tourism events. (5) Hold Chiyou Worship Ceremonies: Conduct solemn rituals to honor, worship, and remember Chiyou, reading sacrificial texts and expressing gratitude. In China’s vast historical tapestry, the Miao spirit stands as a great monument and an iron backbone of the Chinese nation, holding significant educational value for national rejuvenation. (6) Create a Miao Village Botanical Garden: Use wellness plants as an ecological backdrop to integrate catering, inns, leisure, outdoor sports, and training into an eco-leisure tourism complex. (7) Establish a Miao Theater: Build a venue for Miao musicals and performances, integrating, rest, and commercial functions. (8) Found a Miao Culture International Exchange Center: Focus on Chiyou, Miao ICH, ancient songs, dance, and liquor culture. Aim for immersive experiences by carefully designing content, product, and consumption systems. Build a comprehensive center for conferences, exhibitions, international exchange, ICH experiences, and interactive entertainment.

Develop Miao cultural study tours and amusement design.

Create a new Miao village economy: Leverage rich cultural and water resources to establish film/TV and performance bases, develop night tourism, and form new economic growth engines, paving fresh paths for cultural industry conversion.

Establish Miao cultural study-farms: Integrate parent-child study and labor education with farming experiences and skill cultivation. Deeply merge Miao culture with traditional “farming and reading” practices to truly inherit the ethos of “farming and reading as family traditions.”

Create Miao cultural academies: Utilize platforms like writers’ associations, alumni networks, veteran groups, and Miao cultural societies to promote culture. Use culture to drive tourism and commerce, generating revenue through creativity.

Design premium Miao cultural tourism routes: Based on the three major dialect regions, cultural themes, tourism elements, or connections between relics, farms, and galleries, carefully craft diverse tourism routes.

Optimize public service efficiency in Miao regions: Upgrade comprehensive cultural service centers and squares, tap local performing talent, and regularly host activities like singing Miaolanguage red songs. Use New Era Civil Practice platforms to organize volunteer teams providing services for the elderly, women, and children (e.g., hanging “Ai Gou” during Dragon Boat Festival, children’s recitations).

Strengthen Miao cultural inheritance: Catalog historical relics and rural livelihood artifacts to build Miao folklore exhibition rooms featuring embroidery, suona, and other heritage items. Introduce excellent traditional culture into schools through “ethnic culture inheritance recesses,” inviting ICH inheritors to teach lusheng playing and other skills.

Promote agricultural-tourism integration in Miao regions: Leverage the brand effect of “Gedouba” Miao Village to combine traditional culture with rabbit and black-feathered chicken breeding, creating creative agricultural products. Based on local resources, develop a bamboo-centered industry chain, build Miao cultural bamboo corridors and bamboo shoot processing plants, and enhance comprehensive agri-cultural-tourism benefits.

Zhang Yunqing, Male, Han ethnicity, from Shangcai County, Henan Province, China. Associate Professor at the School of Marxism, Chongqing University. He has presided over nearly 20 provincial/ministerial and horizontal research projects, published over 30 academic and conference papers, and won multiple awards for academic papers and competitions. Main research fields: (1) Economics; (2) History; (3) Cultural-Tourism Integration; (4) Sinicized Marxism; (5) Chinese Traditional Culture; (6) Education; (7) Philosophy.