Volume 84

The Hezhe people possess a unique musical heritage, most notably represented by the “Imakan” narrative art—hailed as a “living epic”—and folk songs reflecting their fishing and hunting traditions. These form a precious component of the Chinese nation's musical treasure trove. However, with societal changes and shifts in the environment for transmission, traditional Hezhe music faces severe challenges. Teacher education, particularly music teacher education, plays a pivotal role in cultivating future educators' musical literacy and awareness of cultural preservation. Currently, the integration of Hezhe music culture into the curricula of local normal universities remains inadequate, characterized by fragmented content, limited teaching methods, and a lack of depth. This paper aims to explore practical pathways and strategies for effectively incorporating the outstanding traditional music culture of the Hezhe people into the curricula of local normal universities.

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Current research on gender representation in English textbook illustrations in China primarily focuses on nationally used textbooks such as People's Education Press and Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press versions, with insufficient attention to other textbooks. To address this gap, this study examines three compulsory English textbooks (2019 edition) published by Beijing Normal University Press, widely used in Beijing, employing content analysis to investigate 120 gender-identifiable illustrations from four dimensions. The findings reveal that while the total number of female illustrations is higher, males appear more frequently; occupational distribution shows horizontal segregation and vertical segregation; females dominate behavioral frequencies in family scenarios; and male outstanding figures are more numerous, mostly pre-20th-century figures. The study indicates implicit gender bias in Beijing Normal University Press Compulsory English textbooks, emphasizing the need for adapted gender review mechanisms for English textbooks. It also suggests that compilation departments should optimize strategies through role diversification, timeliness, and scenario balance.

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The “There be” existential construction is an iconic English sentence pattern, which establishes a spatial cognitive framework for various nouns through the expletive subject “there” and a focus-final structure. So how is such a construction generated? Based on Grammatical Metonymy Theory, this paper proposes that the cognitive motivation of the English existential construction is the core metonymic operation of PLACE-FOR-EXISTENCE, while abstract nouns additionally require the secondary metonymy ENTITY-FOR-STATE to achieve reification. To validate this model, this study employs a corpus-based approach combined with diachronic analysis and contrastive study to analyze 4,000+ instances of the construction extracted from the COCA, COHA, and OED corpora, which indicates that: (1) Concrete nouns, by virtue of their inherent spatial entity status, predominantly enter the construction directly in non-definite forms; (2) Abstract nouns rely on multiple reification means to achieve “boundedness”; (3) The grammaticalization of “there” is essentially spatial metonymy; (4) A Chinese-English contrast reveals that English adjusts cognitive salience through highly grammaticalized means, whereas Chinese relies more on lexical means and word order to directly present a scene. This study, combining previous research evidence and empirical studies, has firstly proposed a two-tier metonymy model to explain the cognitive motivation of English existential construction.

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This paper explores how media convergence is reshaping the way people create, share, and experience culture in today’s digital environment. Platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, and Netflix illustrate how global technologies increasingly intersect with local traditions, producing both opportunities for cultural exchange and challenges of misunderstanding or exclusion. In this setting, user experience (UX) design becomes a vital bridge between technology and culture. A well-designed interface must not only meet functional needs but also reflect users’ values, aesthetics, and communication styles across different regions. When cultural differences are ignored, platforms risk alienating users and reinforcing algorithmic bias. By drawing on theories of cross-cultural communication, this paper highlights the importance of culturally adaptive UX strategies such as interface localization, cultural co-creation, and sensitivity to symbolic meaning. The goal is to foster digital environments that support meaningful interaction, reduce cultural barriers, and create more inclusive global media ecosystems.

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Adolescents are increasingly affected by mental health challenges, especially anxiety and depression, which require early behavioural interventions. This paper reviews four main types of behavioural interventions, i.g., Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-based Interventions (MBIs), family and school-based interventions and digital interventions, and summarises their impacts and limitations. While each demonstrates positive effects on improving adolescent mental health, current research lacks standardised evaluation tools, longitudinal data and under-representative populations. Comparative insights indicate that existing interventions often operate in isolated domains, such as treatment, family, school, or digital domains, leading to reduced overall effectiveness. To address this, Dynamic Ecosystem Adaptation through Allostasis (DEA-A), an ecosystem approach, is proposed to integrate multiple interventions. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research focusing on developing a multi-level, personalised intervention system grounded in standardised and long-term assessment. Such a holistic approach may enhance both the effectiveness and sustainability of adolescent mental health therapy.

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This study examines the psychological impact of negative social media exposure on Chinese adolescents, with particular attention to the moderating roles of psychological resilience, family connectedness, and digital literacy. Grounded in Ecological Systems Theory, a cross-sectional survey was administered to 500 high school students using validated psychometric instruments to assess levels of exposure, mental health outcomes, and protective factors. The findings indicate that frequent exposure to harmful online content significantly predicted higher levels of depression and suicidal ideation, underscoring the risks posed by digital environments. Psychological resilience emerged as a significant moderator, weakening the relationship between negative exposure and psychological distress, thereby suggesting its potential as a protective resource. In contrast, family connectedness and digital literacy did not significantly buffer these effects, pointing to cultural and contextual variations in protective mechanisms. These results emphasize the need for resilience-based interventions and further culturally sensitive research on adolescent digital well-being in non-Western societies.

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There is a lack of investigation into the factors associated with Chinese media users’ self-esteem. This study examined how social comparison tendency and the emotional valence of online content jointly predict self-esteem among Chinese social media users. Using survey data from 63 participants, we conducted a multiple linear regression that was statistically significant (F (2, 60) = 4.77, p = .005), explaining 19.53% of the variance in self-esteem. Stronger social comparison tendency negatively predicted self-esteem (β = –1.03, p = .042), whereas positive emotional responses to online content predicted higher self-esteem (β = 0.56, p = .024). These findings suggest that Chinese media users who frequently compare themselves with others and respond negatively to media content report lower self-esteem. By highlighting culturally salient psychological mechanisms, this study extends Western-centric social comparison theory to the Chinese digital context and contributes to a better understanding of psychological factors among Chinese social media users.

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