舌尖上的“美美与共”:饮食类非遗短视频的传播与共同体意识深化

“Shared Beauty”for Your Taste Buds:The Dissemination of Culinary Intangible Cultural Heritage Short Videos and Enhancing Community Consciousness

以非遗推动铸牢中华民族共同体意识,非遗普及化是必经之路。近年来,新媒体尤其是短视频的蓬勃发展,为非遗普及化提供了新的路径。在众多的非遗短视频中,饮食类非遗短视频格外引人注目。饮食类非遗不仅具有强烈的地方性特点,是人们乡愁的寄托;同时又连接着认同,与中华文化认同、中华民族认同紧密相关。本文以抖音平台上的饮食类非遗短视频为例,采用文本分析和参与式观察的研究方法,研究发现,饮食类非遗作为“地方性”的典型代表,借助短视频对“地方”进行了再现和延伸,又以其与“地方”锁定的、流动的“实在”之物应对着全球化时代的“虚无”;同时,饮食类非遗短视频借助于视频元素的通感化,实现了味觉的传达和情感记忆的唤起。从“美食与共”到“美美与共”,作为地方的再现和延伸,作为能引发高阶认同的味觉表达形式,短视频上的饮食类非遗展现了联结地方和铸牢认同的强大力量,有助于中华民族共同体意识的深化。

Looking at culinary ICH(intangible cultural heritage)in the context of globalization,food is something closely related to locals,playing a critical role in resisting the homogenization and simplification prevalent in the global era.Indeed many would agree that food,with its unique characteristics and cultural vitality,helps preserve and promote local distinctiveness.Additionally,the sensory experience of taste is closely intertwined with cultural and national identity.Records show a growing popularity of culinary ICH videos,so this study raises the question:Can they bring more Chinese cultural identity,and what kind of effects will they have?Taking short videos of culinary ICH on the Douyin platform as a study object,this article uses text analysis and participatory observation methods to investigate ICH of food short videos and their comments on Douyin.Findings suggest that culinary ICH,as a typical embodiment of locality,both reproduces and extends local identity with the help of video shorts,and arguably resists the nothing of the era of globalization with its something that is related to locals.The study further reveals that something specialty foods have been offering a refuge from the perceived nothingness of globalization,providing innovation and meaning.At the same time,combination of visual and auditory elements in short culinary videos seems to effectively convey taste and evoke emotional memories.This has led to a trend where individuals seek self-healing and nostalgia through“hometown flavors”and“food flavors”presented in new media formats.The extension of local identities and elicitation of family-and country-related emotions through video shorts of culinary ICH apparently also stimulates a“food stamp collecting”mentality,where people silently deepen their cultural identification with and appreciation for Chinese cuisine.The narrative and dissemination of these short videos seemingly create a“space of flows”,connecting diverse localities across China and fostering cultural interaction and integration concerning food preferences and culinary ICH through both tangible and intangible media.Evidently,this process significantly enhances and broadens cultural identities.This identification with Chinese cuisine involves two stages:Firstly,the concept of“shared tasty food”.The presentation of short videos encourages people to try a variety of Chinese dishes,whether they are southern or northern flavors;they all appear to evoke some warm feelings and memories of the Chinese nation.Secondly,the idea of“shared beauty”.The cross-regional communicability inherent in culinary ICH,coupled with the fluidity of short videos,has shown to facilitate groups to develop a collective identity that transcends local boundaries.Data confirms that this identity deepens through lifestyle-based content,enhancing cultural identification and the sense of belonging to the Chinese national community.From“shared tasty food”to“shared beauty”:The short videos showcasing culinary(ICH)have demonstrated the powerful influence of connecting locals and forging identity.They serve as a representation and extension of local identities,and express taste that evokes higher-level identification.Therefore it can be concluded that this has helped to deepen the sense of community for the Chinese nation.