AI Empowerment and Twin-City Symbiosis: Development Paths for the Digital Preservation, Revitalization and Living Heritage Transmission of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shared Origins in Shenzhen and Hong Kong

This study examines how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can support the digital preservation, revitalization, and living transmission of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) shared by Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Geographically close and culturally connected, the two cities share traditions such as the Qilin Dance, herbal tea culture, and Hakka folk songs, but cooperation faces both opportunities and constraints under the “one country, two systems and three legal jurisdictions” framework. The study reviews policies, laws, and regulations at the national, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong levels to assess their implications for cross-border ICH digitalization. It integrates digital humanities, cultural ecology, and living heritage transmission into an analytical framework. Through case studies of the Qilin Dance and Hakka folk songs, it examines existing digital practices, differences between the two cities, and opportunities for cooperation. Based on these findings, it proposes development pathways involving governments, public institutions, enterprises, social organizations, and data platforms. The study seeks to provide theoretical and practical guidance for cultural integration between Shenzhen and Hong Kong and for developing a “Greater Bay Area model” of ICH transmission in the digital age.