Intangible Cultural Heritage In China Research Articles

MasterSu: The Sustainable Development of Su Embroidery Based on Digital Technology

Su embroidery, as an intangible cultural heritage of China, is a treasure accumulated by human civilization, but it has been gradually fading from people’s view in recent years. To handle the problems of slow creative output, high learning difficulty, and low production efficiency, and to promote the sustainable development of Su embroidery, this study builds an automatic generation system of Su embroidery called MasterSu, based on the CorelDraw platform. The system can automate the generation of embroidery sketches through area texture filling and color recognition, which allows users to participate in the design process. Finally, the performance and usefulness of the system are verified through user experiments, and it is confirmed that the system can facilitate novice users to understand the embroidery culture, learn the embroidery techniques, and create their embroidery works through the system.

Symbolism in the works of art of jianzhi 剪纸 Jinzhou district

This article examines the symbolism contained in the works of Jianzhi art. As a simple folk art, papercutting in Jinzhou has its own aesthetic and educational style that penetrates the hearts of people and raises them to a higher spiritual level. Jianzhi can represent the spiritual worldview of a certain era in the region. Among the symbolic images, images of animals, plants, figures, objects, hieroglyphs and patterns were studied. Jianzhi's works of art are combinations of various patterns, shapes and motifs that contain deep symbolism. The study of images and symbolic meanings will expand knowledge about the culture and customs of the region, as well as create opportunities for the preservation of this unique art form containing the intangible cultural heritage of China. The article concludes about the uniqueness of the stylistics and symbolism of this art direction in the described region. It is claimed that Jianzhi's works reflect the culture, customs and peculiarities of the Jinzhou district society. From the point of view of intangible cultural heritage, the art of paper cutting in Jinzhou is the artistic embodiment of the material and spiritual culture of the people. It is concluded that it is necessary to preserve this kind of art and the subsequent study of its symbolism in order to preserve the intangible national heritage of China.

Perceived Authenticity and Experience Quality in Intangible Cultural Heritage Tourism: The Case of Kunqu Opera in China

In the era of the experience economy, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is now much a richer in terms of authenticity, which largely enriches the tourist experience. This study aims to apply authenticity theory to the field of intangible cultural heritage tourism (ICHT) and to analyze the relationship between the dual dimensions of tourists’ perceived authenticity (constructivism and existentialism) and experience quality and satisfaction. A total of 302 valid questionnaires were collected and analyzed using structural equation modeling through a survey of Kunqu Opera, a World ICH in China. The results of this study confirm that the dual dimensions of authenticity (constructive and existential) have significantly different effects on experience quality and satisfaction. Furthermore, with regard to the mediating effect of experience quality, experience quality plays a partially mediating role between existential authenticity and satisfaction. However, constructive authenticity is a positive influence on satisfaction through existential authenticity and experience quality. This article is concluded with a discussion on the theoretical and managerial implications.

Reconfiguration of the brain during aesthetic experience on Chinese calligraphy—Using brain complex networks

Chinese calligraphy, as a well-known performing art form, occupies an important role in the intangible cultural heritage of China. Previous studies focused on the psychophysiological benefits of Chinese calligraphy. Little attention has been paid to its aesthetic attributes and effectiveness on the cognitive process. To complement our understanding of Chinese calligraphy, this study investigated the aesthetic experience of Chinese cursive-style calligraphy using brain functional network analysis. Subjects stayed on the coach and rested for several minutes. Then, they were requested to appreciate artwork of cursive-style calligraphy. Results showed that (1) changes in functional connectivity between fronto-occipital, fronto-parietal, bilateral parietal, and central–occipital areas are prominent for calligraphy condition, (2) brain functional network showed an increased normalized cluster coefficient for calligraphy condition in alpha2 and gamma bands. These results demonstrate that the brain functional network undergoes a dynamic reconfiguration during the aesthetic experience of Chinese calligraphy. Providing evidence that the aesthetic experience of Chinese calligraphy has several similarities with western art while retaining its unique characters as an eastern traditional art form.

A Comparative Study on the Inheritance of "Intangible Cultural Heritage" in China, Japan and South Korea

The inheritance of "intangible cultural heritage" currently exists in the application of inheritance methods, focusing solely on the inheritance mechanism, representative inheritors and group projects. The objectivity of the inheritance is doubtful, and the talent training is flawed. In the current learning and education, the inheritance of skills is more important than theoretical exploration and inheritance. The phenomenon of light management is reflected in every university. This paper compares the intangible cultural heritage of my country, Japan and South Korea, in order to provide reference and approach for the educational inheritance of intangible cultural heritage in China.

Design and Implementation of VR Digital Displaysystem for Tujia Mogus Dance

Virtual Reality (VR) is a research hotspot in the field of computer graphics in recent years, which is widely used. Tujia Maogusi dance is a national intangible cultural heritage of our country and the crystallization of Tujia civilization. This paper takes Tujia Maogusi dance as the research object, combining with virtual reality technology, proposes the design path of VR digital display system based on Tujia Maogusi dance, and applies this path to show the VR digital cultural performance of Tujia Maogusi dance. The research shows that the VR digital display system of Tujia Maogusi dance has certain practicality, interactivity and invasiveness, which provides a reference scheme for the live display of intangible cultural heritage in China.

A Brief Overview of the Development of Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection in China

Intangible cultural heritage is the carrier of the civilization of human society and is a manifestation of cultural diversity in the world. The unique spiritual values, ways of thinking, imagination, and cultural awareness of the Chinese nation contained in China’s intangible cultural heritage are the basis for safeguarding China’s cultural identity and cultural sovereignty. Therefore, the strengthening of the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage in China not only suits the need for national development, but also is a necessary prerequisite for the dialogue of civilizations in the international community and the sustainable development of human society. This paper adopts a literature research method to briefly describe the development of intangible cultural heritage protection in China after its accession to the “Convention”. We sorted out four aspects, including the origin of the name of intangible cultural heritage in China, China’s initial efforts to protect the “intangible cultural heritage”, the effective measures taken by China to protect the intangible cultural heritage, and the list of representative items of intangible cultural heritage at the national level. The purpose of this paper is to understand the series of conservation measures established by China for the protection of intangible cultural heritage, as well as China’s contributions to the diversity, protection, continuation, and re-creation of of intangible cultural heritage culture.

Research on the Production Technology and Inheritance Status of Southern Zhejiang Clamp-Resist Dyeing

As a national intangible cultural heritage of China, the southern Zhejiang Clamp-resist dyeing is a kind of blue quilt manufacturing technology used by ancient folk people. This kind of folk homescloths has its own unique folk aesthetic form, and its patterns are mostly monochrome square symmetrical baizi figures, opera figures and auspicious patterns. In the local customs of Zhejiang province, this kind of quilt is often used as a dowry for women when they get married (Zhang, 2010). In this paper, the author made an in-depth investigation and research on the technical details and inheritance of the southern Zhejiang Clamp-resist dyeing.

Acupuncture for the Treatment of Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review

Eating disorders are mental health disorders which involve severe problems with thoughts about food and eating behaviors. Acupuncture, an intangible cultural heritage of China, is well known for its ability to release stress and pain. Previous studies suggest that acupuncture has positive effects on treating eating disorders though its effectiveness remains uncertain. A systematic review which illustrated the effects of acupuncture in comparison of other medications was conducted. This review focuses on ten clinical trials published between 2010 and 2020 in Google Scholar and two Chinese databases (i.e. WANGFANG DATA and ZHIWANG). The results have confirmed that acupuncture plays an important role in treating Anorexia, including improvement in patients' Quality of Life and anxiety relief. Evidence has also confirmed the positive effects of pricking Sifeng acupuncture point on treating Infantile Anorexia. In sum, acupuncture is a promising complementary therapy for treating eating disorders. However, further high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCT) with standardized acupuncture protocols are required for each specific eating disorder to validate the treatment effect.

Cultural Reproduction: Ethnic Festivals as Intangible Cultural Heritage in China

Despite a considerable body of research focusing on the preservation and promotion of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), the actual impact of ICH on shaping the cultural life of local communities needs further acknowledgement. Since 2004, China has rapidly engaged with ICH and the associated practices stipulated by UNESCO. Based on a critical analysis of two cultural festivals in China, this study illustrates the impact of official heritage discourse on local communities. Heritage policies have adopted a particular understanding of “culture” that certifies and beautifies related cultural practices and products for commercial purposes. However, these processes of cultural reproduction transform community-based leisure activities into tourism consumption for an external public. Such changes legitimize and reinforce social inequalities within state-society relationships. This study contributes to the broader discussion on the “right to heritage” – whose rights and what rights should be considered in the issues that ICH creates as a form of cultural reproduction

Intangible Cultural Heritage in China: A Visual Analysis of Research Hotspots, Frontiers, and Trends Using CiteSpace

In recent years, the development and utilization of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) has become an increasingly significant research topic. Worldwide, however, little research has been systematically and comprehensively conducted to review relevant ICH literature. The application CiteSpace was used to identify the research hotspots, frontiers, and trends in China’s ICH field from 2003 to 2020. The results showed that the quantity of published literature has steadily increased throughout the respective period. Scholars and research institutions alike have shown poor cooperation whereby ICH protection received most of the attention. In addition, the digitalization of ICH is an inevitable trend in ICH protection and inheritance, while the combination of ICH and cultural industries constitutes an important approach to ICH utilization and communication. Hence, the ultimate goal of ICH research consists of seeking ways to achieve its sustainable development to satisfy the increasing cultural demands. Findings furthermore show that ICH for rural revitalization constitutes a unique research topic with Chinese characteristics. This study provides insights for scholars and practitioners worldwide to facilitate a better understanding of ICH in China.

A Difficult Integration of Authenticity and Intangible Cultural Heritage? The Case of Yunnan, China

Authenticity is a concept that is not seen in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) discourse but is emphasised in Chinese ICH official discourse. An analysis of the origins, discourses, and practices of the notion of authenticity of ICH, as well as the difficulties generated from this concept, illustrates the creation of ICH in China, which mediates between local and international ideologies. This paper adopts historical and critical heritage discourse perspectives to examine cases in Yunnan Province, China, including the understandings, discourses, and practices of the idea of “authenticity” and related original ecology in regard to experts, officials, and ICH practitioners. Through the lens of authenticity, the paper illustrates the history of the complicated relationships between authenticity and ICH in the last 20 years, revealing the dynamism and difficulties in the integration of authenticity and ICH as an official discourse, and the possibilities and restrictions of reconceptualising authenticity in the current contexts of integrating culture and tourism, as well as the reform of cultural governance, in contemporary China.

Research on the Application of Computer Embroidery Skills in Modern Chinese Fashion Design

Chinese traditional manual embroidery has a long history, which is one of the important intangible cultural heritage in China. However, with the increasing social demand for embroidery, the traditional manual embroidery production capacity is too small and the price is high, computer embroidery and embroidery technology has an important market. With the optimization of artificial intelligence algorithms such as deep learning, computer embroidery skills have been gradually optimized, which has replaced manual embroidery in some aspects. In the clothing industry, computer embroidery skills have been widely developed. Through computer technology, designers can carry out three-dimensional modeling design, which is not achieved by traditional plane decoration. Therefore, computer embroidery technology can be gradually applied to the behavior and social factors of modern society, which will encourage the inheritance of national costume culture. First of all, this paper analyzes the current computer embroidery design. Then, this paper analyzes the steps of computer embroidery. Finally, this paper puts forward the application of computer embroidery techniques in modern Chinese fashion design.

From cultural symbols to commercial marks: a quantitative analysis of the trademark law protection of intangible cultural heritage in China

The issue of trademark law protection of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is inevitably encountered in the conversion from cultural symbols to commercial marks. Although academic circles are still discussing this, the practice has already begun. This paper investigates the status of the trademark law protection of ICH in China from the perspective of the application and registration data of ICH trademarks. According to a quantitative analysis of 12 123 items of ICH trademark searching data in China, it can be seen that the trademark protection of ICH is not optimistic, the trademark use of ICH symbols is in a disordered state, and many ICH trademark applications may cause distortion, derogation, or dilution to the connotation of the ICH. As a result, excluding trademark squatting by outsiders and decentralized registrations by indigenous peoples, and orderly utilizing of ICH symbols under a collective trademark or a certification trademark, should be determined as the basic goal of trademark law protection of ICH. To achieve this goal, the solution of ‘exclusion plus unified utilization’ should be adopted in practice. According to this plan, indigenous peoples, the trademark office, courts, and the Center of ICH Protection need to collaborate and improve the trademark law protection of ICH through awareness-raising, actions, institutions, and information.

The Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage from the Perspective of Civic Participation: The Informal Education of Chinese Embroidery Handicrafts

Heritage education can enable social empowerment. Within the broader goal of social empowerment, a current challenge is to establish principles that promote social participation in traditional education. The practice of protecting intangible cultural heritage in China has developed its own unique working model based on the basic theoretical level of UNESCO. This research used cultural citizenship as a theoretical guide, focused on the traditional embroidery craftsmanship of China’s intangible cultural heritage, and conducted exploratory research on the learning intention and value influence indicators of citizens participating in intangible cultural heritage. The research design of this study was divided into two phases: the first phase was designed to collect evaluation indicators that affect the learning of intangible cultural heritage skills, and to support these data using semi-structured in-depth interviews. In the second phase, the convergence of the value indicators that affect the learning of intangible cultural heritage techniques was completed using questionnaire surveys and statistical analyses. Factor analysis was performed using SPSS software. SEM (structural equation modeling) confirmatory analysis was performed using Amos software. Through a two-stage hybrid study, a value recognition scale for the informal educational inheritance of intangible cultural heritage handicrafts was obtained within the local context of China. The scale contains four first-level indicators (ICH’s authenticity, cultural identity, performed value, and social recognition) and 17 second-level indicators. The research results were based on UNESCO’s education indicators for SDG 4, and put forward principles for practices aimed at protecting China’s intangible cultural heritage’s local informal education. Reflecting on the Chinese tradition of citizen participation in protecting intangible cultural heritage could provide references for the practice of intangible cultural heritage protection in other fields and regions. This is consistent with the UN’s SDG 4.7 (ensure all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development).

Traditional music protection from the perspective of intangible cultural heritage

Music is a very important part of national culture, and also an important intangible cultural heritage. In the contemporary era of rapid economic development and increasingly prosperous exchanges between China and the west, the inheritance and promotion of national music has attracted unprecedented attention and become an important topic in the protection of intangible cultural heritage in China. Starting from the context of intangible cultural heritage, this paper analyzes the key points of inheritance and promotion of national music in the context of intangible cultural heritage, hoping to contribute to the protection of intangible cultural heritage in China.

Culturological Interpretation of the Protection and Development of Intangible Cultural Heritage under the Background of Creative Industries—— Taking Nanjing Baiju and Sardinian Pastoral Songs as Examples

The creative industry is an important path for the development of culture and art in modern society. The core of the creative industry is culture and artistic creativity. The protection and development of cultural heritage and creative industry are inseparable. This paper will analyze the protection and development of the two types of intangible cultural heritage in China and the West with creative industries as the backdrop, and try to analyze it from a culturological perspective.

Antithesis versus Inspiration: Chinese Clothing in the Eyes of Western Theorists and Fashion Designers

Dress is a part of Chinese cultural heritage that has fascinated Western audiences for centuries. On the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, there are items related to textiles, embroideries and certain examples of Chinese clothing. This article analyses issues connected with the different uses of Chinese dress in the West. To fashion theorists such as Bell, Wilson, Sapir and Veblen, Chinese dress was the opposite of modern Western clothing and did not deserve to be called fashion. However, researchers such as Welters, Lillethun and Craik have opposed viewing fashion theory through a Eurocentric prism in their desire to rewrite fashion history. Fashion designers drew ideas from China, treating it as a source of inspiration to create their own original designs. For some of them, such as Yves Saint Laurent, it was a China of their imagination. In certain cases, they made use of porcelain designs or dragon motifs in their own collections, for instance, in designs by Cavalli and Ford. The incorporation of Chinese garments into Western collections has also become visible.

From the Guest Editors

From the Guest Editors Charlotte D'Evelyn (bio), Robert O. Beahrs (bio), and Andrew Colwell (bio) The eight contributors to this special issue of Asian Music, Transregional Politics of Throat-Singing as Cultural Heritage in Inner and Central Asia, investigate the dynamics of heritage in this complex region,1 focusing on a diverse range of multiphonic vocal practices known in English as "throat-singing" or "overtone singing" (see map A). Rooted among mobile hunter-pastoralist cultures of the Altai and Sayan Mountain ranges (see map B), this collection of styles, substyles, and techniques is known by scholars and practitioners variously as khöömei (used along with kargyraa and sygyt in the Tyva Republic of the Russian Federation), khöömii (used more commonly in Mongolia), kai (in the Altai Republic), kömei (in Kazakhstan), and khooloin tsuur (in Xinjiang), among many other regional labels. Local practitioners in Mongolia and Tyva largely consider khöömei not as a genre of singing at all but as a practice akin to "playing the throat" or "sounding the body as a vocal apparatus" (see Süzükei, Pegg, Colwell, Curtet, and Beahrs, this issue). Still other practitioners conceptualize their techniques as a form of singing, and many draw on the legacy of the Russian term gorlovoe penie, which translates directly as "throat-singing."2 Local communities across this region have conceived of these practices in various and evolving ways, sometimes associating a variety of styles together for cultural, political, aesthetic, and technical reasons, applying khöömei as a collective term. For the sake of the reader, we use the terms "throat-singing" and khöömei purely as discursive reference points for the admittedly complex questions raised in the six articles that make up this special issue. The debate at the center of this special issue concerns the inscription of khöömei as an element of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) on the UNESCO lists for China (2009) and Mongolia (2010). The UNESCO framework—which inscribed khöömei as ICH in China and Mongolia but notably not in Russia—has dramatically affected the politics and perceptions of multiphonic vocal practices throughout the region, resulting in a host of resonances and dissonances that have not yet received in-depth attention in English-language ethnomusicology scholarship. We observe that contemporary heritage-making [End Page 3] in Inner and Central Asia is part of a long history of local practices such as khöömei becoming recognized and transformed by state institutions for the purposes of nation-building, beginning at the very latest with socialism during the twentieth century. Indeed, diverse local understandings of vocal sound-making practices contrast sharply with such attempts to transform khöömei into national heritage. Our work follows a growing body of scholarship in critical heritage studies (Norton and Matsumoto 2018; Hafstein 2018; Stefano and Davis 2016; Foster and Gilman 2015; Bendix, Eggert, and Peselmann 2012; Howard 2012; Smith 2006) and studies of contested heritage in Asia (Yang, Dupre, and Xu 2020; Tsetsentsolmon 2012; Wu 2020; Stokes 2015; Jacquesson 2020). Approaching this topic from distinct and sometimes even conflicting perspectives, we ask: How do Indigenous, communal, or transregional senses of belonging interact with governmental or internationalized heritage-making initiatives related to khöömei? How do official or academic definitions of cultural heritage contrast with how practitioners understand khöömei? How does heritage not just "preserve" its object but also "reform" the relationship of practitioners, communities, and nations to the practice in question (Hafstein 2015, 148)? Accordingly, the contributors do not share a single notion or definition of heritage and instead underscore the perspectives, events, and meanings they have encountered over years of research.3 This journal issue is the first transregional and multiauthored Englishlanguage study of khöömei in the Altai-Sayan region of Inner Asia since Theodore Levin and Valentina Süzükei's seminal monograph Where Rivers and Mountains Sing (2006). It draws on two generations of scholars: three influential researchers (Valentina Süzükei, Carole Pegg, and Theodore Levin) who began work in this region in the 1980s and a cohort of scholars (Robert O. Beahrs, Andrew Colwell, Johanni Curtet, Saida Daukeyeva, and Charlotte D'Evelyn) who began their work in the 2000s...

Digital protection and reflection on Tibetan ghee sculpture art of intangible cultural heritage in China

China’s Tibetan ghee sculpture art is the first batch of works of art approved by the state council to be included in the national intangible cultural heritage list. This paper mainly studies the origin, digitalization and intelligent protection of the Tibetan butter sculpture art in China, and also explores and attempts to effectively protect the intangible cultural heritage with modern science and technology. We hope that more people will understand, inherit and protect the fine traditional culture of the Chinese nation, and that our cultural confidence will continue to advance to new levels.