Abstract:

From a multi-scalar perspective, this paper explores the dynamics of Qiaoxiang culture and the potential contribution of Qiaoxiang culture to the Belt and Road Initiative. Shantang culture, one branch of Qiaoxiang culture, has been widely spread in Southeast Asia, and so the development of Xiude Shantang in Dawu Village of Chaozhou—a traditional Qiaoxiang region—in post-reform era provides empirical case study for this research. This research adopts qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, textual analysis, and observation in order to unpack the changing dynamics of Xiude Shantang since its re-emergence in Dawu Village in 1983. Xiude Shantang was re-built in Dawu with the help of its emigrants rather than its religious branches overseas. During this process, overseas Chinese and local people in Dawu both emphasized Dawu Shantang's place meaning as a symbol of hometown. Then Dawu Shantang further developed by strengthening its connections within transnational Shantang cultural networks based on its religious ties. The recent decade saw Dawu Shantang became economically independent from overseas Chinese and conducted charity work actively in Dawu, while it started playing a central role in transnational networks of Shantangs in Southeast Asia and China. This research finds out that the construction of Qiaoxiang culture is a multi-scalar and dynamic process. Actors at different scales such as transnational, national, and local scales all participate in this process. Their multi-scalar interaction shapes the scale-meaning of Qiaoxiang culture and drives the (re-)development of Qiaoxiang culture. The multi-scalar dynamics of Qiaoxiang culture shows the potential for utilizing Qiaoxiang culture to facilitate the Belt and Road Initiative in terms of transnational cultural exchange and communication. Exploring this topic enhances our understanding of multi-scalar interaction and multi-scale representation of local culture in Qiaoxiang that has not been fully discussed in current research in geography or Qiaoxiang studies.

Key words: multi-scalar dynamics, Qiaoxiang culture, overseas Chinese, transnational cultural networks, the Belt and Road Initiative

摘要：

基于多尺度的视角，以广东传统侨乡潮州市大吴村修德善堂在改革开放后重建并发展至今的历程为案例，解析侨乡文化的动态建构及其对“一带一路”建设的意义。研究使用深度访谈、文本分析和实地观察等质性研究方法，探讨了大吴善堂在海外华侨华人的帮助下通过强调地方意义得以重建、以加强以神缘为基础的海外善堂文化联系实现发展、最终在兼具本地慈善和跨国宗教功能的情况下建立跨国善堂文化网络独立核心地位的过程。研究发现，以大吴善堂为案例的侨乡文化在“海外-国家-地方”等多尺度行为主体的互动下不断进行重构，多尺度互动塑造了特定时空下侨乡文化的尺度表达特点。大吴的案例展现了多尺度行为主体互动的内涵和机理，展现了“一带一路”建设中利用兼具地方性和跨国性的侨乡文化资源、促进人文交流的方向，也补充了现有侨乡研究中尚未充分讨论的多尺度互动对侨乡文化尺度表达的塑造。

关键词: 多尺度动态, 侨乡文化, 海外华侨华人, 跨国文化网络, 一带一路