CULTURAL LANDSCAPES OF CALLIGRAPHY: THE EVALUATION AND RECEPTION OF CAI XIANG’S ARTISTIC LEGACY IN THE SONG DYNASTY AND ITS INTERCULTURAL RESONANCE FOR GEOSITE-BASED TOURISM

This study examines how Cai Xiang’s calligraphic legacy, as encountered in Fujian’s cliff inscriptions and related geoheritage settings, shapes visitors’ historical-cultural identity, aesthetic perception, cultural pride, perceived authenticity, destination image, and heritage tourism intention. An exploratory cross-sectional mixed-methods design combined a structured visitor questionnaire with site-based qualitative interviews. The quantitative relationships were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling, while thematic analysis contextualized how visitors interpreted geological surfaces, landscape settings, artistic form, historical continuity, and cultural meaning at the Gushan Cliff Inscriptions, the Wan’an Bridge area, and related exhibition settings. The measurement model showed acceptable reliability and convergent validity, and the structural model produced an SRMR value of 0.036. Historical-cultural identity was positively associated with heritage tourism intention (β = 0.34), aesthetic perception with destination image (β = 0.52), cultural pride with heritage tourism intention (β = 0.28), calligraphy literacy with perceived authenticity (β = 0.41), and perceived authenticity with heritage tourism intention (β = 0.46). The coefficient product for the indirect literacy-authenticity-intention sequence was approximately 0.19, although no separate bootstrapped significance test for this indirect effect was available in the reported results. Interview accounts reinforced the importance of material continuity, rock texture, landscape integration, cultural knowledge, and perceived genuineness in visitors’ evaluations. The study integrates calligraphy, cultural landscape, geoheritage, and heritage tourism in a single interpretive framework. It concludes that artistic traditions materially embedded in geological settings can strengthen destination interpretation, intercultural relevance, and visitor engagement, while providing practical guidance for heritage education, conservation-oriented interpretation, and calligraphy-related geotourism in Fujian.