Culture Conservation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries Derived by Tourism Factory-Case Study of Kwong Xi Paper Factory in Taiwan

Abstract

The study explores that how traditional papermaking industry can be derived by tourism factory for culture conservation and regeneration, and takes the Kwong Xi paper factory in Taiwan as a case study. By reviewing multiple documents and literatures on three aspects, that is, culture conservation and regeneration, traditional papermaking industry and tourism factory, in-depth interview and site investigation approach are adopted to conduct this case study and data analysis. In the heyday, Kwong Xi paper factory exported paper to Japan and Korea. After 1991, because of highly competitive papermaking market, it faced offshore migration of industries. Traditional papermaking industry had been on the downgrade, facing the turning point of industrial transformation. The owner in this factory took the lead in promoting the idea of industrial tourism in papermaking field. With few previous cases, they underwent much difficulty and vagueness but they were still brave to attempt the task, and to position themselves. Through the field interview, we discovered that by opening a tourism factory for the traditional culture promotion, Kwong Xi paper factory changes its business model and succeeds in industrial transformation. It not only explores one new business area in tourism factory dedicated to cultural education and industrial value, but also has revived traditional papermaking industries for the recent years. By summing up the results of this study, three main factors of industrial culture conservation and regeneration have been identified: First, cultural orientation is a key point for business model. If cultural root disappears, the factory will barely become over-commercialized. The company will gradually lose its position and the upsurge will be also easy to fade away. Second, cultural value needs to be emphasized in final product. At the moment each paper is finished, it actually just completes the half of this product. Add humane values and that is considered as the final product. As a consequence, it sells not only products but also passes down the culture of industries. Third, culture can be regenerated and evolved by cultural innovation. Time and space are always flowing and changing. So does culture. Only if we keep moving forward for the new and the different and always remember our original intention, culture will exist in industries all the time. It is noted this study can provide an empirical basis for industrial culture conservation and regeneration.