Against the backdrop of accelerated global digitalization and cultural diversification, Cantonese embroidery, a world-class intangible cultural heritage, is facing challenges such as a break in its transmission and limited industrial efficiency. Based on panel data from Guangdong Province from 2021 to 2023, this study employs a two-way fixed effects and threshold model to systematically identify the driving role and stage-specific characteristics of the digital economy in the synergy of the Cantonese embroidery industry chain. The results show that the digital economy significantly improves the synergy level of the Cantonese embroidery industry chain, with increased consumption capacity being the key transmission mechanism, and this impact exhibiting a strengthening threshold effect as digitalization deepens. The study further proposes three paths for international breakthroughs: using digital technology to elevate Cantonese embroidery from a regional craft to a global digital cultural and creative brand; expanding the international influence of Chinese culture through cross-border e-commerce and digital dissemination; and reshaping the intangible cultural heritage industry ecosystem through intelligent production and blockchain, providing a Chinese solution for cultural integration along the "Digital Silk Road." This study provides a replicable path for the modernization and international dissemination of intangible cultural heritage and contributes Eastern wisdom to the digital transformation of global cultural heritage.

Jin Qiu, Fan Zhang. An Empirical Study on the Synergistic Impact of the Digital Economy on the Cultural Industry Chain—Taking Cantonese Embroidery as an Example. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2025), Vol. 7, Issue 11: 103-118. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2025.071115.

[1] Yu Fan. A New "Trajectory" Emerges in the Digital Economy [N]. China Culture Daily, 2025-07-23(003).

[2] Yu Yafei. The Path of Digital Economy Empowering High-Quality Development of Cultural Industries [J]. Industrial Innovation Research, 2025, (13): 104-106.

[3] Pei Xu. Exploring the Path of High-Quality Development of Digital Cultural Industries—Taking Hebei Province as an Example [J]. Social Science Forum, 2025, (04): 150-158.

[4] Wang Huan. Research on the Impact of Digital Economy on the High-Quality Development of Shanxi Cultural Industries [J]. Shanxi Finance and Taxation, 2025, (06): 28-32.

[5] Yang Qiuhua, An Gang, Zeng Shinan. Characteristics and Contributions of Modern and Contemporary Cantonese Embroidery from the Perspective of Sociocultural Studies [J]. Textile Report, 2025, 44(06): 120-124.

[6] Li Yongcai. Research on the Reconstruction Logic and Innovation Path of Rural Cultural Industry Economic Ecology in the Digital Age [J]. Business Manager, 2025, (06): 57-59.

[7] Zhang Yuanchun. Research on Innovation Strategies of Enterprise Culture in the Digital Economy Era [J]. Modern Business, 2025, (11): 60-63.

[8] Liu Fanjia. Research on the Path and Effect of Digital Empowerment of the Living Inheritance of Cantonese Embroidery Intangible Cultural Heritage [J]. Western Leather, 2025, 47 (06): 32-34.

[9] Wang Yangyang. Inheritance and Development of Traditional Cantonese Embroidery Craftsmanship in Contemporary Times [J]. Cultural Monthly, 2024, (12): 32-34.

[10] Yang Qiuhua. Explanation and Interpretation of the Transformation of Modern Cantonese Embroidery Design Paradigm [J]. Journal of Clothing, 2024, 9 (06): 556-561.