Selecting and testing cultural symbols for character IP: evidence from Mount Tai, China.

INTRODUCTION: In the context of cultural digitalization, how to translate grand cultural heritage into character IP (a proprietary character circulated across media and merchandise, e.g., Kumamon, Labubu) with communicative power and emotional appeal is an important issue for enhancing cultural identity and cultural tourism transformation. METHODS: Taking the cultural symbols of Mount Tai as an example, this study constructs an entropy weight-TOPSIS (EWM-TOPSIS) evaluation model and a structural equation model (SEM) to conduct an empirical analysis from two levels: symbol selection and audience response. RESULTS: We finds that anthropomorphic expression and emotional compensation mechanisms significantly enhance audience emotional resonance and further strengthen cultural identity, consumption, and dissemination intentions. The results show that the effective dissemination of cultural IPs does not rely on the direct presentation of grand narratives, but rather on achieving emotional connection through visual dimensionality reduction and personalized expression. DISCUSSION: This study provides empirical support for the digital translation of traditional cultural resources and the optimization of new media dissemination mechanisms.