INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HERITAGE, ART AND MULTIMEDIA (IJHAM)

RESEARCH ON THE STYLE OF SHE ETHNIC COSTUME PATTERNS BASED ON WÖLFFLIN'S FORMAL THEORY

2025-12-29T08:37:21+08:00

The five pairs of formal categories proposed by Heinrich Wölfflin, namely linear and painterly, plane and depth, closed and open, multiplicity and unity, and clarity and obscurity, constitute a systematic framework for style analysis in art history research. This paper takes Wölfflin's formal theory as the analytical perspective, and conducts structural and visual research on the patterns of She ethnic costumes, aiming to break thru the research path limited to pattern classification and cultural symbolism in the past, and explore its esthetic logic and visual mechanism from the perspective of formal ontology. The study found that the She ethnic patterns are not a single static style form, but present a continuous spectrum extending from "linear rationality" to "painterly sensibility". The formation of this spectrum is not only rooted in the totem belief, psychological structure and craft tradition of the She ethnic group, but also reflects its visual acculturation in the process of interaction with the Han culture. The research in this paper not only reveals the formal evolution logic of the She ethnic costume patterns, but also provides methodological inspiration for the reinterpretation of Wölfflin's theory in the context of oriental ethnic art.

TYPOLOGIES OF DATUK GONG: SINICIZED FORM OF KERAMAT BELIEF IN MALAYSIAN CHINESE RELIGION

2025-12-29T08:41:50+08:00

This paper examines the typologies of Datuk Gong worship in Malaysia, with a particular focus on its Sinicized transformation. Based on archival materials and fieldwork carried out between 2018 and 2025 in Malaysia, southern Thailand, Singapore, and Medan Indonesia. The paper identifies two broad categories of Datuk Gong. The first is the keramat-derived form, rooted in Malay animistic traditions and later taken up by local Chinese communities. The second category involves personified figures—especially first-generation Chinese immigrant leaders who died under unusual circumstances and were remembered as martyrs before eventually being deified as Datuk Gong. Although the research covers multiple regions, it remains qualitative. The number of Datuk Gong shrines is very large and unevenly recorded, so this paper selects several representative cases to construct a workable analytical framework. The findings show that keramat-type Datuk Gong may appear through stones, mounds, termitaria, snakes, foxes, or even cannons. Besides that, Chinese communities reinterpreted keramat beliefs and also turned certain local historical figures into protective deities, allowing collective memory to become part of religious practice. By laying out these two major forms more clearly, the paper offers a typological outline that has been missing in previous studies and helps situate Datuk Gong worship within broader discussions of cultural adaptation, local memory, and Chinese religious life in Southeast Asia.

NATIONAL HERITAGE POTENTIAL SITE: EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF HISTORIC CORE SPATIAL AREAS IN KOTA KINABALU

2025-12-29T08:31:26+08:00

Heritage symbolizes the community of a place and provides its residents with a sense of identity, belonging, and pride. The historical cores of cities, where many important buildings are located, play a crucial role in shaping a city's identity. However, these historical cores and their built heritage are often threatened by modern development, leading to a loss of identity. The historical core of Kota Kinabalu, the capital of the Malaysian state of Sabah, is no exception to this unfortunate trend. To evaluate the significance of the historic core sites in Kota Kinabalu, site observations and expert interviews were conducted in both semi-structured and open-ended formats. The assessment was based on six indicators of significance: building typology, historical importance, social and cultural associations, aesthetic value, information value, and the richness, diversity, or unusual integration of features. These indicators were derived from the criteria outlined in Section 67 of the National Heritage Act of 2005. The analysis of the interviews was done using ATLAS.ti software, and the qualitative data were presented in graphic forms. While all six indicators were generally considered relevant, some experts disagreed regarding the suitability of building typology, aesthetic value, and informational value for the historic core of Kota Kinabalu. This study findings demonstrate that the historic core of Kota Kinabalu deserves designation as a National Heritage site. Furthermore, it encourages other Malaysian cities to utilize the same indicators to advocate for the preservation of their own historic cores.