CulCultural Embedding and Market-Driven: The Construction Path and Theoretical Implications......

Guo Zhenghao /December 19, 2025

Abstract
Against the backdrop of global Go development and China’s sports governance transformation, traditional elite-oriented models (national system and Go dojos道场) fail to meet local demands for popularization, cultural inheritance, and industrial linkage. In China，as Go promotion shifts to local cities, constructing a comprehensive system becomes critical. Luoyang, a “Hundred-Dan Go City,” offers rich empirical data with its 43 professional players and 152 total dan ranks by 2023.

Existing studies focus on competition, cultural value, or single cases, lacking analysis of multi-factor synergy and the interaction between cultural embedding and market drive. This study addresses three questions: how cultural embedding supports market drive; whether Luoyang’s multi-source funding model is sustainable; and how to balance popularization and elite cultivation.

Using case study, in-depth interview, bibliometrics, and cost-benefit analysis, this study employs cultural embedding, market drive, and sports ecosystem theories, proposing a “Culture-Market-Talent” triangular synergy model.

Findings show that cultural embedding and market drive synergize to form a positive cycle; Luoyang’s multi-stakeholder collaboration achieves an ecological closed-loop; the model is universally applicable. The study enriches sports ecosystem theory, provides practical solutions for local cities, and offers policy references for integrating sports, culture, and tourism. Limitations include single-case bias and historical data gaps; future research could expand case scope and explore digital integration.

Keywords: Local Go System, Cultural Embedding, Market-Driven,
Triangular Synergy Model, Sports Ecosystem