Li Gongkeng She Ethnic Village
Residency, Research & Community Co-creation Project（李工坑畲族村）
Ethnic Minority Research · Rural Revitalisation & Youth-led Cultural Action
Project Type
Ethnic Minority Field Research / Rural Revitalisation & Public Education Programme
Time & Location
2024
Li Gongkeng She Ethnic Village, Chaozhou, Guangdong, China
Initiated under
HSBC–Haihui Chaozhou Rural Revitalisation Programme
Supporting Organisation
Sichuan Haihui Poverty Alleviation Service Center
Cultural Volunteer Team
Escape Art Club / 跑路艺术小组
Role
Cultural Volunteer · Field Researcher · Programme Coordinator
Cai Boxuan (Boosen Tsai)
Background
This project was carried out as part of the HSBC–Haihui Chaozhou Rural Revitalisation Programme, focusing on cultural research and community development within Li Gongkeng She Ethnic Village, a village shaped by both ethnic minority heritage and long-term processes of cultural assimilation.
As cultural volunteers, members of Escape Art Club entered the village with the aim of supporting She cultural documentation, community self-organisation, and youth-led cultural activation. Rather than conducting symbolic heritage extraction, the project emphasised lived experience, participation, and long-term potential for cultural sustainability.
Description
The team undertook a three-day immersive field residency, living and moving within the village to observe daily life, spatial details, and cultural traces embedded in ordinary environments. Initial observations revealed a complex cultural landscape: while many visible aspects of She culture had been gradually assimilated into Han cultural forms, cultural memory remained deeply embedded in language, belief, and local pride.During the residency, the team:
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Conducted informal interviews with villagers across generations
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Collaborated with local children, including two young She-language speakers who became active guides during the research
- Visited and documented ritual spaces, vernacular architecture, and everyday cultural markers
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Met with elder She folk song bearer Lei Shucai, providing technical support to help him digitally record songs and oral history
On the second day, the team organised a public art education workshop titled “The Eyes of Li Gongkeng”, inviting village children to draw self-portraits and their perceptions of the village. These drawings became both research material and a potential foundation for future cultural products rooted in local imagination rather than external design.
Beyond observation and workshops, the project extended into creative co-production. The team developed concepts for:
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A hand-drawn village map using the movement of a snail as a metaphor for walking routes
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Visual promotional materials integrating unique village elements
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An original music and MV concept combining She cultural motifs with contemporary youth expression, with a demo composition completed during the project
Outcomes
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Completed a She Cultural Community Research Report covering language, ritual, belief systems, public resources, and development challenges
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Conducted participatory public art workshops with village children
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Assisted in digital documentation of endangered She folk songs
- Produced visual concepts and early prototypes for cultural communication materials
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Developed a youth-led creative framework for long-term cultural engagement
Significance
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Demonstrated a youth-driven, non-extractive model for ethnic minority cultural research
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Integrated art, education, and documentation within a rural revitalisation framework
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Supported community self-recognition rather than external cultural branding
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Bridged NGO-led rural development with grassroots cultural action
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Strengthened Escape Art Club’s capacity to operate within funded, multi-stakeholder projects
Keywords
Ethnic Minority Studies · Rural Revitalisation · Cultural Volunteering · Field Research · Public Art Education · Community Co-creation · Youth Engagement