Interior Design of Shadow Puppet-Themed Homestays in the Context of Cultural Tourism Integration: A Case Study of Downtown Dalian

Abstract

In the process of the constant deep integration between culture and tourism, how to keep living transmission of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) and renew and revitalize modern urban spaces have become important issues in design scholarship. This paper mainly talks about historic districts in downtown Dalian, trying to look into and use the ways that traditional Chinese ICH—Fujian Shadow Puppetry—is changed into the interior design of today's themed homestays. Based on the historical evolution of shadow puppetry, the research thoroughly analyzes its unique aesthetic essence, light- and shadow- narrative methods, and collective memory characteristics formed through the cultural blending in southern Liaoning. The article states that a contemporary spatial transmission of shadow-puppetry is not simply a collage of traditional symbols or a static display, rather, it’s to be totally immersed within and transformed by interior design so that key medium elements such as light, screen, shadow, as well as aspects of carving and color, and participatory performance practices all become inhabitable, interactive everyday spatial forms. By forming design translation logic starting from ‘semantics reconstruction’ moving towards ‘formal spatialization’ and ending with ‘experiential scenario establishment’, this research puts forward a design strategy for spatial design about ICH theme homestays that applies to urban central urban area. This not only is an innovative model for high-quality cultural tourism development in Dalian historical neighborhood but also provides a practically grounded academic reference for the contemporary spatial revitalization of traditional Cina folk art.