Inheriting old crafts and activating new impetus
-investigation on the present situation of non-genetic inheritance in rural revitalization in China
Folk Culture Forum and Rural Revitalization Research Group
editorial comment/note
Intangible cultural heritage is an important part of Chinese excellent traditional culture and an important resource to realize rural revitalization. In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the important instructions of the Supreme Leader General Secretary on the protection of intangible cultural heritage (hereinafter referred to as "intangible cultural heritage") and rural revitalization, and promote the intangible cultural heritage to help rural revitalization, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the National Rural Revitalization Bureau organized the recommendation of "typical cases of intangible cultural heritage workshops", and identified and published 66 "typical cases of intangible cultural heritage workshops" in 2022. The research group on intangible cultural heritage and rural revitalization of Folk Culture Forum started with non-genetic inheritance to help rural revitalization, and went to Zhuxian Town, Kaifeng, Henan Province, Gama Township, Karuo District, Qamdo, Tibet, Wutun, Longwu Town, Tongren, Qinghai Province, and Tacheng Township, Yulong, Yunnan Province, and conducted in-depth research on the inheritance, development and challenges of intangible cultural heritage in the new era, and put forward countermeasures and suggestions to promote non-genetic inheritance and help rural revitalization.
1. Intangible heritage is rooted in the countryside, full of vitality and creativity.
There are many kinds of intangible cultural heritage in China. From 2006 to 2021, the State Council published five batches of national intangible cultural heritage projects, including 10 categories of folk literature, traditional music, traditional dance, traditional drama, folk art, traditional sports, entertainment and acrobatics, traditional art, traditional skills, traditional medicine and folk customs, with a total of 1,557 items and 3,610 sub-items. By December, 2022, there were 43 projects listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in China, ranking first in the world in total. Most of these non-legacy representative projects come from the people and are rooted in the countryside. They contain the unique spiritual value, way of thinking, imagination and cultural awareness of the Chinese nation, embody the endless vitality and creativity of the Chinese nation, and are the witness of our history and an important carrier of Chinese culture.
Intangible heritage is the essence and typical representative of rural culture.The vast countryside is the main breeding ground for China’s intangible cultural heritage. Intangible heritage covers all aspects of rural life, is the wisdom summary of the survival skills and life experience of rural people, and is an important support for rural social production and life. Folk art represented by intangible cultural heritage not only nurtured the people, but also recorded the history and cultivated people’s national pride.
In Zhuxian Town, Kaifeng, Henan Province, New Year artists and ordinary people can tell their glorious history and prosperity: "Zhuxian Town is a big pier, with a wide grain river, and the boats in the river are big and beautiful, loaded with goods from the north and the south. There are many foreign merchants who come to Zhuxian Town to purchase goods, from Huguang in the south, Shaanxi and Gansu in the west, Hebei in the north and Shandong in the east. Merchants from all over the country have left footprints in Zhuxian Town. At that time, there were more than 300 New Year pictures workshops in Zhuxian Town, and the New Year pictures business was booming. Every household invited the old stove master and posted New Year pictures … seventy-two temples, seventy-two hutongs, seventy-two streets and seventy-two descendants. "
One side of the soil and water produces one side of culture and raises one side of people. The raw materials and production techniques of many folk crafts are inseparable from specific areas, such as porcelain, teapot and Suzhou embroidery, which have become specific geographical and cultural symbols, and therefore become an important resource for promoting rural revitalization in the local area. Epics such as Biography of King Gesar, Manas, Jianger and Ancient Songs of Miao Nationality, which are widely circulated among the people, are the essence of rural culture in ethnic areas and an important spiritual source of ordinary people’s lives. They not only provide rich nourishment for the Chinese nation, but also contribute colorful chapters to world civilization.
Non-legacy "two creations" inject vitality into rural revitalization.In the new era, how to realize the creative transformation and innovative development of intangible cultural heritage? At the national level, many policies and regulations have been provided for non-genetic inheritance and rural revitalization. In 2015, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education issued the Notice on Implementing the Training Plan for the People Inheriting Intangible Cultural Heritage in China; In 2017, the China Traditional Craft Revitalization Plan was formulated; In 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the Notice on Vigorously Revitalizing Traditional Crafts in Poverty-stricken Areas to Help Accurate Poverty Alleviation and the Notice on Supporting the Establishment of Intangible Poverty Alleviation Employment Workshops; In 2022, the National Rural Revitalization Bureau and other eight departments jointly issued the Notice on Promoting the High-quality Inheritance and Development of Traditional Crafts and the Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Cultivation of Rural Artisans.
The investigation found that various localities organized intangible cultural heritage workshops, intangible cultural heritage training, intangible cultural heritage entering the campus and other activities to improve the intangible cultural heritage inheritance and activation mechanism. China Folk Writers and Artists Association implements the "Mountain Flower Talents" cultivation plan, focusing on training key members, leading talents and outstanding creative talents in various fields of folk literature and art. In the first half of 2023, advanced seminars in the fields of paper-cutting art, Sand painting, stone carving art and Thangka art were organized nationwide successively, so as to build a platform for non-genetic inheritors to learn, discuss, communicate and display.
In the practice of non-genetic inheritance, inheritors and local departments are also actively exploring the road of development. Yao Jianping, the inheritor of Suzhou embroidery, painted a "splendid picture" of rural revitalization with an embroidery needle. She said: "In recent years, the embroidery industry in ethnic areas has been revitalized through training and long-term pairing, helping more embroidered mothers improve their skills and increase their income. A large number of villagers have lived a good life through their own manual labor."
Yuan Changliu, honorary chairman of the People’s Association of Wudu District, Longnan City, Gansu Province, said that the local wood carving industry has gradually developed from a manual workshop of folk artists to a large-scale factory, which has brought tangible work and income to farmers. They also plan to further enhance the handicraft skills and market awareness of folk artists by holding various types of training courses.
With the popularity of mobile networks, intangible cultural heritage has also stepped out of geographical limitations. Young inheritors in many places have developed handicrafts e-commerce based on their characteristics, and broadcast live "bringing goods" online. Zhou Lazanbu, a Tangka painter in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province, established Tangka Art Co., Ltd., which deals in handicrafts such as flower painting, embroidery and sculpture, and also displays and promotes intangible skills through social platforms.
2. Non-genetic inheritors, integrated into rural construction
Non-genetic inheritance, the key lies in people. The key to rural revitalization is also people. Paying attention to the group of inheritors is a key issue for non-genetic inheritance to help rural revitalization.
The role of rural non-genetic inheritors is indispensable.Gama Township, Karuo District, Changdu City, Tibet, is the earliest inheritance place of Gama Gachi Painting School. At present, there are 73 households with 202 people engaged in Tangka painting. The important non-genetic inheritors include Gama Dele, Pincuo Lunzhu, Sangzhu Rob, Mei Tsering, Luozhu Basong and other painters. Their main ways of inheriting Tangka are family inheritance and apprentices, and their disciples vary from dozens to hundreds. However, the transmission and study in the family is not closed, but through the acquaintance society composed of in-laws, neighbors and villagers, the mentoring relationship is established, forming a cultural heritage vein in a certain region. It is precisely because of the unique customs, traditions and regional culture that it has been passed down from generation to generation among the people and in the countryside for thousands of years.
Farmers are the main body of rural revitalization. To promote rural revitalization in an all-round way, we should give full play to farmers’ main role.In the revitalization of rural culture, the role of rural non-genetic inheritors is indispensable. To realize the revitalization of rural non-legacy talents, it is necessary not only to integrate external forces to sink the countryside to support and help, but also to pay attention to cultivating and encouraging farmers’ own endogenous development motivation.
At present, the non-genetic inheritors of Thangka in Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan are actively exploring the inheritance path of Thangka. Starting from the early establishment of family schools, they have gradually developed into multi-level and multi-dimensional rich models such as Thangka Studio, Thangka Research Institute, Thangka School and Thangka Commercial Company, which are based on the protection of non-legacy and promote the integration and mutual promotion of culture and industry.
Attach importance to the non-genetic inheritance of teenagers.The investigation found that most of the non-genetic inheritors started from childhood and infiltrated into the intangible cultural heritage atmosphere for a long time. Through listening and speaking, oral instruction and professional study, they gradually understood and became familiar with the true meaning of intangible cultural heritage, and assumed the mission of non-genetic inheritance.
The non-genetic inheritors of Leba dance in Yulong County, Lijiang City, Yunnan Province emphasize on learning from childhood. The inheritors told the research team: "My name is Li Wenxian, and I started to learn Leba dance at the age of 7." "My name is Chen Sicai. When I was four or five years old, my grandfather took me to dance Leba, and I will get it slowly."
Ryan. Qiao, a professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, put forward that the non-genetic inheritance of paper-cutting should start with dolls and attach importance to the cultivation of children and adolescents. At present, the China Folk Paper-cut Integration Project Team has started the investigation and research on the non-genetic inheritance of teenagers.
Rob Starr, a national non-genetic inheritor of Thangka, believes that it is better to learn painting at the age of 7-13, and it is best not to be over 18, otherwise it will be difficult to train. Gengdengdaji, the inheritor of Thangka in Qinghai, said: "There is an optimal age limit for drawing Thangka. The younger you are, the faster you learn."
"Zhuangjiashan has been singing for thousands of years, and now folk songs have entered the campus." In April 2023, Guangxi Dahua Yao Autonomous County Experimental Primary School became the "Guangxi Folk Song Learning Base", and folk song inheritors entered the campus to cultivate "Liu Sanjie’s little successor". Xieqiao Town Central Primary School in Haining City, Zhejiang Province, Longdong College in Gansu Province, Zhongshan Experimental School in Luanzhou City, Tangshan City, and Baotou Steel Experimental Primary School in Inner Mongolia have long carried out the work of "shadow play art entering the campus" and obtained the inheritance experience and innovative achievements of shadow play skills. Multi-category and diverse intangible cultural heritage and its inheritors are entering the campus and approaching teenagers in various ways.
3. Non-genetic inheritance faces the dilemma of "cultivation" and "innovation"
Non-genetic inheritors take a long time to cultivate, and the supporting school education lacks continuity.Non-genetic inheritance is a long-term learning and practice process. Guo Taiyun, the national non-genetic inheritor of New Year pictures in Zhuxian Town, Kaifeng, Henan Province, entered the famous goalkeeper workshop "Yunji" in Kaifeng at the age of 13 as an apprentice, and the apprentice had to work in the goalkeeper workshop for at least four years before he could start his career. He was an apprentice in Yunji for a long time, about five or six years. That is to say, according to the traditional mode of non-inheritance, the initial investment cost of mastering non-legacy skills is high, the return is slow, and some even don’t see direct benefits.
Take Thangka Apprentice as an example, there is no salary in the measurement stage of learning sculpture, and the living expenses are mainly borne by the family and teachers. Apprentices sometimes have to pay compensation by means of labor exchange. Thangka school not only has a long study time, but also has a high basic cost. The research group had previously learned during an investigation in Danba Raodan Thangka Art School in Tibet that the most basic living expenses of an apprentice are about 30,000 yuan per year, including only accommodation, catering, transportation, tuition and miscellaneous fees, but not clothing, daily necessities, social activities and other expenses. Therefore, not all apprentices have the financial conditions to persist until the final graduation certificate.
At present, the practical exploration of the combination of intangible heritage and school education mainly presents the following new trends: (1) the practice of intangible heritage protection and inheritance is gradually carried out in the field of education; Some progress has been made in the construction of non-legacy disciplines; Non-legacy elements are integrated into nine-year compulsory education in various forms; Non-genetic inheritors enter the campus to promote non-legacy projects. However, these measures are still in the trial stage and have not really formed the scale and system. Some places have entered kindergartens and primary schools, but due to the pressure of entering higher schools, it is difficult to carry out non-legacy conventional teaching in middle schools. Like other skills training, non-genetic inheritance needs to start with dolls. How to organically combine the traditional inheritance model with the modern school education system and connect different classes such as primary schools and middle schools is an important issue facing the cultivation of non-genetic inheritance.
The persistence of intangible quality and the effect of innovation and activation are not ideal.Intangible heritage is rooted in traditional rural society. With the social changes and changes in production and lifestyle, the cultural connotation of intangible heritage in many places has been pulled away, and the symbiotic relationship with people’s daily life has been deconstructed, showing a "rootless" state. With the gradual withdrawal of the elderly inheritors from the social stage, many non-legacy projects are facing the crisis of "people dying". The cultural structure and level of cultural awareness of young inheritors are uneven, and their interest in intangible heritage is not strong enough. In today’s rapidly changing social environment, it is also difficult to focus on intangible heritage for a long time. From guarding skills to cultivating talents, from maintaining quality to activating innovation, non-genetic inheritance and development face a series of new problems.
The lack of effective protection of intellectual property rights is also one of the chaos in the transformation and utilization of intangible cultural heritage. In the investigation, we often encounter infringements such as the original works borrowed or bought by the inheritor are exhibited, won prizes and sold in the name of others, or the newly created works are made public, spread and copied without the permission of the inheritor, and the works are published without signature and in the name of others after being photographed. In the face of various uncertain factors in the market, the inheritors’ power to defend their rights in the form of individuals is very weak. This kind of chaos has greatly violated the interests of the inheritors and dampened their creative enthusiasm.
The theoretical research, policy support, industrial channels and social support of the integration of intangible cultural heritage into rural revitalization are still not perfect.Turning intangible cultural heritage into a cultural force to promote rural revitalization requires deepening research on the theoretical level, strong support on the policy level, and multi-party cooperation on the practical level. At present, there is still a lack of relevant theoretical research on how to promote the integration of intangible cultural heritage into contemporary life and root in rural and community cultural ecology, and the policies and measures are not complete and systematic enough to support specific practical exploration. There is also a lack of practical social support in industrial channels and supporting services. Some places have created "incubators" for non-legacy innovation and implemented the "non-legacy+"strategy. However, at present, most of them stay at the level of publicity and promotion, and few people really get results. There is still a lack of targeted measures to help inheritors connect with the market and build the industrial chain of intangible products, and the homogenization phenomenon is serious. In many places, intangible cultural heritage development has not been included in the overall development planning such as rural cultural construction and rural customs civilization, and the positive role of intangible cultural heritage in rural social governance has not been effectively played.
4. Protect history, base on the present, and let the intangible heritage inject development momentum into the future of the countryside.
Based on the overall situation, we will formulate a macro-strategy and policy system that will help rural revitalization and promote high-quality rural development.Non-genetic inheritance helps rural revitalization, which is conducive to the high-quality development of rural industries and makes the countryside a poetic place where material civilization and spiritual civilization coexist. We should stand on the overall height, adjust measures to local conditions, focus on regional economic and social development, and form a macro-strategic planning and supporting policy system for the development of humanistic economy in urban and rural areas. Avoid homogenization and low-quality cultural productivity competition, and increase farmers’ non-agricultural income. While developing the characteristic processed products industry, it is necessary to expand the industrial form and tap the diverse values of ecology, leisure, culture and education in the village, so that the local intangible derivative products and folk cultural activities can be developed in the rural revitalization and the integration of agriculture and tourism; Adjust and optimize the industrial structure, let the intangible cultural heritage inherit and grow differently in the new industrial form, and effectively promote rural revitalization with its own unique advantages and development vitality.
Adhere to the protection concept of "seeing people, seeing things and seeing life", pay attention to promoting the contemporary value of intangible cultural heritage, and promote the integration of intangible cultural heritage into modern life.Empowering rural revitalization with intangible resources requires innovative development based on the overall development concept. The extensive participation of the public is the lasting driving force for the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage protection. In intangible cultural heritage protection, we should not only attach importance to the subjectivity of inheritors, but also cultivate intangible cultural heritage audiences and consumers. Folk culture related to intangible cultural heritage should be protected and developed in the living context and its natural ecological environment, and integrated into the rural industrial chain to promote the optimization and transformation of rural industrial structure, promote the multi-social division of labor in rural areas, and create regional brands with cultural added value. We can rely on intangible resources to build intangible workshops and carry out skills training, and promote the effective connection between consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. We will promote the organic integration of more non-legacy projects into the construction of tourist attractions, resorts, leisure blocks and key villages and towns for rural tourism. Through the construction and cultivation of specific cultural spaces, cultural landscapes and cultural activities such as non-legacy towns, non-legacy tourism and non-legacy festivals, we will improve and promote the consumption experience mode of non-legacy related production customs activities and extend the production and consumption industrial chain.
Respect the main position of inheritors in protection, inheritance, development and creation, and attach importance to the role and significance of teenagers in non-genetic inheritance.Village leaders and non-genetic inheritors are all important human resources to promote the practice of rural revitalization. It is necessary to respect the main position of inheritors, set up non-genetic inheritors’ studios, and give full play to their role in regulating mass relations and promoting the development of local public affairs through non-genetic inheritors’ work. Teenagers are the new force of non-genetic inheritance and development, so we should explore the modern models and methods of non-genetic inheritance and attach importance to cultivating teenagers’ feelings, consciousness and skills. By sorting out the village history, compiling rural readers, setting up local lecture halls and developing non-legacy school-based courses, the non-genetic inheritance will be institutionalized into the school’s moral, intellectual, physical and artistic education. We can set up non-genetic learning and practice bases in schools and organize non-legacy research, so that non-legacy education can become an important part of young people’s learning and growth, and enhance their understanding and love for traditional culture.
Mobilize the enthusiasm of villagers to participate in non-genetic inheritance, establish a sharing mechanism and expand the rural cultural industry chain.Under the leadership of party committees and governments at all levels, we should establish a multi-subject interest community and establish a fair and reasonable sharing mechanism to protect farmers’ interests. We can closely combine the activation and utilization of rural intangible cultural heritage with the development of rural cultural industries, fully mobilize the enthusiasm of all villagers, and cultivate their initiative consciousness of participating in "intangible cultural heritage+rural revitalization". We can regularly carry out skills training such as industrial policies and service standards to help villagers use the e-commerce platform and expand the sales channels of "non-legacy+rural agricultural products". Pay attention to rural tourism, e-commerce agriculture and other derivative industries, focus on cultivating villagers’ production and management ability, technology promotion ability and communication and marketing ability, explore the evaluation of rural non-legacy talents, and tilt in technical services, project cooperation, bank loans, product promotion, financial support and other aspects.
(Members of the research group: Feng Li, Wang Suzhen, Zhang Zhiyong, Liu Dongmei, Li Hang, Shao Huifang)
Guangming Daily (June 22, 2023, 05 edition)