Changes and Development of Traditional Culture of the Nomadic People – A Case Study on Naadam in Henan County of Qinghai Province in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Naadam in Henan County of Qinghai province in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an important traditional ethnic sports activity that has been transformed into a sporting event in the course of cultural reconstruction. The changes in the connotation and form of the festival are intended to embed the traditional culture in the cultural reproduction process of modern life through the reinterpretation and recreation of the traditional cultural elements on the basis of ethnic interactions. Cultural markers, such as horse racing, cultural performance and interaction in the Naadam Festival, constitute high-level emotional connection with the game, thereby reinforcing internal solidarity within the ethnic community and the confidence in the ethnic culture. The changes in the significance of Naadam is also a cultural capital transformation process in order to achieve coordination between the traditional ethnic culture and modern market to achieve a unity of cultural, social, and economic development.