Background: Globalization and urbanization threaten the inheritance of Xiguan culture in Guangzhou. This study combines constructivism theory and AR technology to enhance children's cognition and interest in local culture through interactive pop-up books. Research status: AR technology has been widely used in education, but the cultural education research combined with pop-up books is still in the exploration stage, and there is a lack of in-depth discussion on the integration of cultural content. Research methods: Based on multimodal learning theory, Unity 3D and Vuforia technologies were used to develop AR pop-up books and transform Xiguan cultural elements into interactive modules. Using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) framework, a four-week experiment was designed to compare the cultural learning effects of AR pop-up books and traditional pop-up books with 50 third - and fourth-grade students. Results: Students using AR pop-up books increased their cultural knowledge mastery and participation by 45% and 65% respectively, which was significantly better than the control group. Conclusion: AR pop-up book has high effectiveness in Xiguan cultural education, which provides an empirical basis for technical support of cultural education.