Objective/Meaning  Based on the concept of cultural ecology, this paper aimed to explore the internal mechanism of the ethnic minority cultural inheritance and economic coordinated development, in order to solve the realistic dilemma of “loss of identity” and “separation from the region” of ethnic cultures in the process of modernization.

Methods/Procedures  By taking the She ethnic settlements in Ningde City of Fujian Province as a typical case, and based on General Secretary Xi Jinping’s thought on the“creative transformation and innovative development” of ethnic cultures, the “cultural ecology” was used as the analytical framework to focus on the cultural inheritance and economic development practice of She nationality. Through the field investigation and in-depth interviews, the effectiveness and tension of the two-way mutual construction between culture and economy were systematically sorted out.

Results/Conclusions  The research showed that although the “Ningde Model” has consolidated the economic foundation for cultural inheritance through the industrial empowerment, it still faced deep challenges such as the dilution of cultural subjectivity and the imbalance of ecological niche. The conclusion suggested that achieving the sustainable development of She culture could not rely solely on the external economic “blood transfusion” model. Instead, it was essential to reconstruct a complete ecosystem consisting of “material space, institutional norms, and living subjects”. The core lay in awakening the national self-esteem and confidence, and strengthening the subject consciousness of inheritance among the She people, thereby accomplishing the fundamental transformation from “passive protection” to “endogenous development”.