Visual Taste of Culture: The Semiotics of Traditional Chinese Elements in Modern Fusion Restaurant Branding

Abstract

Spaces of cultural engagement, such as restaurants, often incorporate cultural elements to promote a sense of cultural resonance through the use of visual and design elements. This paper aimed to investigate the application of the traditional Chinese design elements by international as well as local modern fusion restaurants, which leads to the construction of cultural image and identity narratives of the brands. Accordingly, the paper investigates the two set objectives, which were: to study the employment of traditional Chinese design and visual elements by fusion restaurants to promote cultural authenticity and hybridity, and to analyse the enhancement of the global brand identity distinction and consumer interaction through semiotic implementation of traditional elements. The paper conducted a qualitative analysis through a comparative case study of nine Chinese fusion restaurants from both domestic and international contexts, sourcing the observations through their online data sampled through purposive methods. The findings revealed that in China, the traditional motifs function as tactile tools of belonging, which are culturally rooted and embedded in the identity framing of these restaurants. This creates a sense of belongingness and continuity of cultural memory for the domestic fusion restaurants. In the international context, those same motifs are often abstracted into modular brand codes that signal sophistication and distinctiveness to cosmopolitan audiences. The paper contributes to the reframing of authenticity as performative and situational, offering a usable framework for scholars of visual culture, hospitality design, and transnational branding. It recommends that future applied work should pair visual audits with designer narratives to secure both descriptive accuracy and interpretive depth.