Qiaopi Network and Art Ecosystem —A Study on the Art Sponsorship Mechanism in Southern Fujian

Abstract

This study examines the overseas remittance network in Southern Fujian to explore how transnational capital flows shaped local art production and cultural ecosystems during the first half of the 20th century. It analyzes the operational mechanisms of the remittance system, capital flows, and their multifaceted impacts on folk art creation, architectural styles, and art education. Additionally, it investigates the localization of Nanyang visual elements under official cultural control. The research indicates that the Qiaopi network functioned not merely as an economic support system but as a mechanism for cultural transmission and reciprocity, embodying the active role of overseas Chinese in shaping their homeland's cultural development within a globalized context. The artistic ecosystem of Southern Fujian gradually took shape through this "structural process," revealing the diversity and complexity of non-Western paths to modernity.