How the "National Ball" Builds Bridges: Mechanisms and Practical Paths of Table Tennis in Promoting Sports Culture Identity among Hengqin–Macao Youth
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62051/ijgem.v10n9.01Keywords:
Sports culture, Table tennis, Youth, Cultural identity, Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay AreaAbstract
Through literature review, case analysis and logical analysis, this paper examines the mechanisms and practical paths through which table tennis promotes sports culture identity among youth in the Guangdong–Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin ("Qin'ao" for short). It is argued that table tennis, as China's "national ball", possesses three attributes—mass participation, national cultural symbolism, and the historical narrative of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy"—and is able to translate abstract national identity into embodied, everyday practice through four channels: ritual cohesion, embodied empathy, memory evocation, and network extension. A multi-level exchange architecture has now taken shape between Hengqin and Macao, encompassing the "Qin'ao Cup" youth series (1,191 participants in 2025, of whom Macao players accounted for 71.5%), the "Rong Guotuan Cup" youth exchange tournament, and the Guangdong–Macao youth training camp, all supported by steadily improving institutional supply. Nevertheless, shortcomings remain in the normalization of exchanges, the depth of cultural empowerment, and the absence of assessment systems. Accordingly, this paper proposes a "national ball culture practice system" composed of a regularized league, branded camps, and digital communities, together with an integrated path that coordinates tournaments, training, culture and industry, thereby providing theoretical support and policy references for deepening youth integration between Hengqin and Macao.
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