Visual Identity and Cultural Symbols in the Space of Ethnic Restaurants: The Chinese-Russian Context

Culinary culture is considered to be a form of cultural construction in which the values and worldviews of a particular ethnic group are reflected in everyday practices. Cultural symbols are deeply integrated into the aesthetic system of themed restaurants of the 20th and 21st centuries, forming a unique visual environment where gastronomy converges with art and national identity. This article examines the role of cultural symbols in shaping the visual identity of restaurant spaces in the Chinese and Russian ethnocultural contexts. The study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that integrates semiotics, aesthetics, and visual communication theory, allowing the restaurant space to be viewed as a complex semiotic text. The article analyzes the processes of semantic translation and aesthetic representation of cultural symbols in the architectural and design environments of ethnic themed restaurants in the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation, identifying common and specific features of their visual codes. The findings demonstrate that visual design rooted in symbolic imagery and traditional ethnic motifs contributes to the creation of a spatial experience characterized by artistic expressiveness, emotional resonance, and cultural depth. This, in turn, enhances the consumer’s understanding of and identification with national culture and fosters the formation of sustainable models of cultural memory. It is established that the use of cultural symbols has become a vital component of the aesthetic structure of restaurant spaces. The dissemination and reinterpretation in various social contexts in China and Russia underscore the unique value and contemporary significance of the themed restaurant as a mediator of intercultural communication and a tool for visual cross-cultural dialogue.