Exploring Short-Video Communication Paths for Minnan Xunpu Culture from the Perspective of Empathic Communication

Abstract

This study adopts empathic communication theory as its analytical framework and examines a contemporary paradox in the short-video dissemination of Xunpu culture, in which the growing visibility of cultural symbols is accompanied by a weakening of cultural context and value recognition. Using a qualitative research design, the study draws on field observations in Xunpu Village, semi-structured interviews with 12 local intangible cultural heritage inheritors and knowledgeable community members, and content and case analyses of 300 short-video samples collected from Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The data were coded and analyzed in terms of narrative structures, audiovisual presentations, and interaction patterns, with findings triangulated across field observations, interview data, and online samples. Based on this analysis, the study develops a three-tier framework encompassing cognitive, affective, and behavioral empathy. The findings indicate that short-video representations of Xunpu culture often compress cultural contexts into highly recognizable visual symbols, diminish women’s lived experiences and ritual emotions, and restrict audience engagement to imitation and performative check-ins. These limitations constrain deeper cultural understanding, emotional identification, and meaningful participation. Accordingly, the study proposes strengthening cognitive empathy through temporal narrative reconstruction and contextual restoration, enhancing affective empathy through regional soundscapes and detailed sound effects, and facilitating behavioral empathy through embodied experiences and user co-creation. Together, these strategies form a progressive communicative pathway that guides audiences from viewing to understanding and from emotional resonance to active participation. The study concludes that an empathic communication perspective can contribute to deeper cultural meaning-making and audience participation in Xunpu short-video communication, while providing practical guidance for the living transmission of Minnan intangible cultural heritage in digital media environments.