Zhuang Food Culture as Artifact：Meaning, Representation and Digital Media Practice in the Process of New Media Communication in China

Abstract

This research is basic research. Using qualitative research methods, the research text is the Zhuang food culture. The primary focus is on exploring the meaning and representation of Zhuang food culture in the development process of Chinese new media communication.

This study indicates that Zhuang food culture holds seven levels of meaning for the Zhuang people during traditional festivals and daily life: 1) the meaning of primitive worship and belief, 2) the meaning of survival beliefs, 3) the meaning of aesthetic concepts, 4) the meaning of ethnic identity, 5) the meaning of moral norms, 6) the meaning that embodies the Zhuang people's thought of valuing "glutinous rice," and 7) the meaning of integration of ethnic cultures.

In addition,The researchers found that the representation of Zhuang food culture on new media is mainly conducted from three dimensions: the representation of food culture, the representation of regional culture, and the representation of traditional culture.The representation of food cultural shapes the resilient character of the Zhuang people in their constant pursuit and progress from three aspects: cooking utensils, ingredients for food, and Food preparation process. The representation of regional culture discusses micro-documentaries construct cultural identity and guide aesthetic appreciation from the perspective of the regularity and purpose of regional cultural communication.The representation of traditional culture is characterized by the inheritance and adherence of Zhuang people to traditional festivals and traditional culinary skills.

Besides.The researchers conducted a case study of the Zhuang Sanyuesan Festival to analyze the meaning and representation of Zhuang food culture in the festival field during the process of Chinese new media communication, arriving at three conclusions:1）The participants in festival activities are not only the receivers of the meaning of Zhuang food culture, but also the creators of meaning.2)The representation of Zhuang food culture changes as the festive culture evolves.3）The mediatization of Zhuang food culture is a variety of representations that reflect the public's response to the development of Zhuang society

In summary, the development of new media communication in China has created a broader space for the representation of Zhuang food culture. Through diversified media forms, its rich connotations and meanings are presented, enabling more people to glimpse the inherent essence of Zhuang food culture, thereby gaining a deeper understanding of the unique cultural characteristics of this ethnic group.

-