Transoceanic Inheritance and Dissemination of Regional Culture: Lingnan Culture in the Caribbean

Jiayu  Deng; Fanghui  Ouyang

doi:10.54691/rce94r32

Authors

Jiayu Deng
Fanghui Ouyang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/rce94r32

Keywords:

Lingnan culture; the Caribbean; Chinese diaspora; regional culture; international communication.

Abstract

Lingnan people were pioneers of China’s maritime trade and served as an important bridge in China’s external exchanges. As generations of adventurous Lingnan migrants crossed the oceans, Lingnan culture took root in the Caribbean, where it intertwined with local cultures through intergenerational and community-based transmission, directly or indirectly contributing to cultural formation in host societies. However, there remains many gaps in research on its overseas transmission pathways and mechanisms. Based on a systematic review of existing research on the overseas transmission of Lingnan culture, this article focuses on the Caribbean region and examines, from historical, literary, economic, cultural-geographical, and social perspectives, the pathways and characteristics of Lingnan cultural inheritance and dissemination in the Caribbean, thus constructing a multi-dimensional and interdisciplinary five-sphere analytical framework. It argues that Lingnan culture has played a significant role in shaping the ethnic consciousness of Caribbean Chinese, constructing their cultural identities, and fostering cohesion within immigrant communities. This study seeks to provide a systematic direction for subsequent empirical research through theoretical integration and framework construction, aiming to offer a path with theoretical depth and practical significance for regional culture to “go global”, and promote overseas Chinese studies and mutual learning between Chinese and Caribbean civilizations.

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