Anthropological insights into emotion semantics in intangible cultural heritage museums: A case study of eastern Sichuan, China

The preservation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) has transitioned from “static” and “living” approaches to a “digital ecosystem”, becoming a significant topic of anthropological research. This study, adopting an anthropological perspective, integrates sentiment semantic analysis with user identity classification to propose the Identity and Sentiment-Centered Framework for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ISC-ICH). Drawing on four types of ICH museums in Eastern Sichuan, China—Nanchong Langzhong Wang Shadow Puppetry Museum, Bazhong Pingchang Fanshan Jiaozi Base, Guang’an Eastern Sichuan Folk Museum, and Dazhou ICH Exhibition Hall—as case studies, this research analyzes the core factors contributing to the audience’s sense of local identity, including its composition, emotional needs, and cultural interaction. The findings reveal that: (1) “Explorers” and “Experience Seekers” constitute the primary audience groups, with their emotional evaluations closely tied to cultural depth and interactivity. (2) The digital transformation of ICH museums faces challenges such as resource limitations, festival-centric phenomena, the rise of “internet celebrity” trends, and technological homogenization. This paper introduces a culturally tailored corpus and a comprehensive evaluation framework, highlighting the dynamic interaction between ICH and its audience. Additionally, it proposes effective digital strategies to enhance the social and cultural identity of ICH museums in peripheral regions.