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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Narrative Strategies in Intercultural Communication of the Grand Canal
JIANG Chunsheng
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DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2026.08.009
Beijing Wuzi University, Beijing, 100149, China
The Grand Canal was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2014, and its international visibility has grown steadily since then. Yet the externally oriented texts produced around it do not always achieve the cross-cultural resonance that heritage promoters expect. Drawing on corpus analyses of media discourse, comparative discourse studies and audience research, this paper identifies three recurring problems in these texts, the homogenisation of cultural symbols, the fragmentation of narrative meaning across digital platforms, and the superficial treatment of heritage signifiers. To address them, the paper proposes a tripartite framework that integrates cultural memory theory, multimodal discourse analysis and narrative immersion research. The historical dimension situates commemorative space in a dual temporality, the spatial dimension organises meaning through an anchor–path–network configuration, and the emotional dimension structures affective engagement across individual, group and humanity levels. The framework is offered both as an analytical tool and as a practical guide for redesigning externally oriented heritage texts.
Grand Canal, external communication, cultural memory, multimodal discourse analysis
Journal of Literature and Art Studies, August 2026, Vol. 16, No. 8, 693-698
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