Imbalance and Reconstruction: Problem Representation and Multidimensional Optimization of Integrating Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture into Children's Picture Books

Integrating excellent traditional Chinese culture into children's picture books not only enhances cultural identity but also promotes the comprehensive development of children's cognitive, emotional, and aesthetic abilities. This study analyzes the content of 120 children's picture books and conducts in-depth interviews with 15 preschool teachers to identify issues in the integration of traditional Chinese culture into these books, including themes, type adaptation, implementation pathways, and media forms. The study further explores the core contradictions in this integration: the misalignment between cultural perception and cognitive schemas, the imbalance between creative logic and educational efficacy, the systemic rupture between thematic fields and interconnected networks, and the overreach of media representation and meaning transformation. Based on these findings, four optimization pathways are proposed: (1) innovative mechanisms for repairing cultural symbols and replanting values, (2) dynamic adaptation between creative supply and cognitive demand, (3) restructuring of mechanisms for educational empowerment and collaborative consensus, and (4) system reengineering of media repair and modal coordination. These measures aim to achieve the deep inheritance of traditional Chinese culture in children's picture books and improve educational outcomes.