Technology Empowerment and Field Reconstruction: Research on the Production Mechanism of Qiaoxiang ICH "Digital Twin" Space from the Perspective of Generative AI

Abstract

In the era of transition from digital technology to intelligence, Generative Artificial Intelligence (AIGC) is reshaping the existence and communication logic of cultural heritage. As a unique diasporic cultural space in China, Jiangmen Qiaoxiang (hometown of overseas Chinese) faces the decline of its physical field and the rupture of intergenerational memory regarding its Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). Traditional digital protection often stops at static "mirror replication," failing to respond to the needs of living inheritance across time, space, and cultures. Drawing on Henri Lefebvre's theory of the production of space and Pierre Bourdieu's field theory, this paper proposes the concept of "Cultural Digital Twin" and explores how Generative AI drives the ontological leap of Qiaoxiang ICH from physical space to digital twin space. The study finds that AIGC produces a digital field of virtual-real symbiosis and dynamic evolution through three mechanisms: "algorithmic reconstruction of representations of space," "embodied simulation of representational spaces," and "interactive co-creation of spatial practice." This process not only achieves the digital proliferation of ICH resources but also triggers the restructuring of power structures and the transformation of capital forms within the Qiaoxiang cultural field. The paper further constructs a digital twin space production model based on "human-machine collaboration" and critically examines issues of technological ethics, algorithmic bias, and digital sovereignty, aiming to provide theoretical interpretation and practical paths for the revival of Qiaoxiang culture in the intelligent age.