Semiotic Meanings and Cross-Dynastic Inheritance of Jiao as Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Jiao (sedan chair) is an iconic traditional Chinese luxury conveyance and a significant item of material cultural heritage. This study conducts an in-depth investigation of its cultural inheritance mechanism and semiotic meanings. Findings reveal that the Jiao gradually evolved from a royal-exclusive conveyance into a cross-ethnic cultural carrier via a dual-track mechanism comprising top-down institutional prescriptions rooted in the Yufu System (i.e., the imperial ritual code governing carriages, attire, and regalia) and bottom-up folk adaptive practices. From a semiotic perspective, it embodies three hierarchically progressive layers of meaning: the denotative level, which denotes the intrinsic attributes of a functional luxury conveyance; the connotative level, which signifies the indexical function of social stratification; and the mythic level, which embodies the materialization of ideological hegemony. By integrating semiotic theory with cultural heritage research, this study clarifies the role of material cultural artifacts in mediating social hierarchical order and cultural continuity, provides practical insights for the preservation, interpretation, and transmission of traditional cultural relics, and enriches research perspectives in the field of cultural heritage.