A Study on the Living Inheritance Mechanism of University Dragon and Lion Dance from an Educational Perspective

Grounded in the interdisciplinary perspective of education and sports science, this study investigates the intrinsic mechanisms and practical pathways for the living inheritance of dragon and lion dance in higher education institutions. It expounds the unique educational values of dragon and lion dance in strengthening college students’ national cultural identity, collective consciousness, and bodily confidence from the perspective of sports-based moral education, and analyzes the pedagogical logic of integrating ideological and political education through value guidance, behavioral regulation, and character cultivation. Addressing practical bottlenecks—including insufficient specialized teaching staff, difficulties in recruiting intangible cultural heritage (ICH) bearers into universities, and weak disciplinary competence among physical education teachers—as well as systemic deficiencies such as fragmented curriculum frameworks, ambiguous credit recognition, technique-oriented assessment neglecting cultural dimensions, and lack of process-oriented evaluation of inheritance outcomes, the study proposes a ‘three-stage, four-dimensional’ campus inheritance model: progressing from foundational cognition to experiential practice and innovative dissemination, supported integrally by curriculum instruction, student associations, competitive performances, and cultural spaces. It further advocates building a collaborative ICH inheritance community linking universities with local dragon-lion associations, ICH bases, and communities. Systematic safeguard strategies—including institutional support, inter-departmental governance coordination, digital resource construction, and dynamic dual-track evaluation tools—are advanced to ensure sustainable operation, offering theoretical reference and practical paradigms for the living inheritance of traditional Chinese sports culture in contemporary higher education.