Case Name: Fujian, China · Innovative Practice of Collaborative Protection of Fujian Tulou, Hakka and Southern Fujian Intangible Cultural Heritage Linked by Tencent Games
Case Category: Technological Empowerment for the Development of Cultural Industries
Case Location: Fujian Province, China
Case Applicants: Shenzhen Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd., People's Government of Yongding District, Longyan, Fujian Province, Zhangzhou Media Group
Case Overview:
Case Description
Leveraging its platform product matrix, user base, advanced technologies such as the proprietary AI game engine GiiNEX, and diverse game IP portfolio, Tencent Games launched this collaborative protection project in conjunction with local institutions including the People's Government of Yongding District, Longyan City, Fujian Province, and Zhangzhou Media Group, as well as ICH inheritors from both regions. Aligned with UNESCO's "people-centered" and holistic protection concepts, the case constructs a three-dimensional model of "online digital activation - offline scenario-based experience - collaborative industrial ecosystem development", realizing in-depth integration of material heritage with the intangible cultural heritage of the Hakka and Southern Fujian ethnic groups. It promotes the living inheritance of heritage and local sustainable development, providing a replicable model for the collaborative protection of dual-ethnic heritage in the Asia-Pacific region.
Based on three major game IPs — Moonlight Blade, Hero Kill, and Star Dream — the project covers nearly 20 ICH items across all three categories defined in the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, encompassing the distinctive features of both the Hakka and Southern Fujian ethnic groups. It builds a closed loop of "digital activation - content co-creation - scenario linkage - industrial empowerment" covering Yongding and Zhangzhou, enabling the coordinated revitalization of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage across the two regions.
Solutions and Innovation
The case innovatively proposes a "three-in-one" collaborative protection methodology, providing a scientific framework for dual-ethnic heritage protection:
First, the IP-driven cross-regional integration method. Taking the three major game IPs as links, it breaks the geographical boundaries between Yongding and Zhangzhou, as well as the protection barriers between material heritage and the dual-ethnic ICH. Through co-creating integrated content, players can understand the symbiotic relationship between the two ethnic heritages through interaction, balancing cultural authenticity and communication appeal.
Second, the technology-empowered living presentation method. Utilizing digital technologies such as 3D scanning, game engines, and AI automatic generation, it not only establishes online digital archives for cultural heritage such as Tulou and Guandi Temples, solving the problem of accurate display of physical textures, but also makes ICH "visible and interactive" in virtual scenarios and material spaces, activating the vitality of living inheritance.
Third, the multi-stakeholder collaborative governance method. A joint project team consisting of the government, Tencent, ICH inheritors, and community residents has been established to coordinate heritage restoration, ICH inheritance, industrial operation and other work in both regions. This ensures that protection plans are in line with local realities, making communities and inheritors the main bodies of protection and practicing UNESCO's "people-centered" concept.
Social Effects
Relying on the influence of game IPs, the case has achieved a cumulative communication reach of over 100 million person-times. According to data from Ctrip.com, 86% of Moonlight Blade users actively pay attention to project-related information when searching for "Yongding". In 2024, the Yongding Tulou Scenic Area received 5.0419 million tourists, a year-on-year increase of 8.16%, with Huanxing Lou generating annual income exceeding 15 million yuan; in 2025, the number of tourists in the Dongshan Guandi Cultural Industry Park reached 803,000, a year-on-year increase of 8.6%. The implementation of the project has added nearly 100 jobs locally, with an average annual income increase of over 10,000 yuan per person, driving the development of related industries such as transportation and services, creating a path to prosperity for residents in the region, and realizing a virtuous cycle of "protection, promotion, and income generation".
It has also been successively covered by mainstream media such as People's Daily and Xinhua News Agency. For the first time, the case systematically summarizes the practical experience of the project in Yongding and Zhangzhou, responding to the 2025 case collection themed "Protecting and Promoting the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in the Digital Environment", and facilitating international cooperation and experience sharing in the global field of heritage protection.
The standardized implementation process of this case can be replicated in the protection practices of multi-ethnic and cross-regional heritage around the world, providing a Chinese solution of "digital empowerment for collaborative heritage protection" for other countries and regions, helping global heritage resources achieve sustainable living inheritance, and enhancing the international communication power and influence of multiculturalism.
Support for Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 4 (Quality Education)
SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure)
SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)
