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ABSTRACT
As cultural carriers of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), practitioners are key stakeholders in its inheritance and tourism use. Master-apprentice transmission is a major mechanism of generational inheritance. This paper examines ICH masters and apprentices at the Arts & Crafts Museum of Hangzhou, China, and analyzes the cultural composition of handicraft ICH and its intergenerational evolutionary mechanisms. Semi-structured interviews with two generations of practitioners and participant observation were undertaken. Research results reveal that intergenerational evolution involves multifaceted stakeholder interactions centred on practitioners with the support of government, management of the museum and participation of visitors. With patterns of family and master-apprentice inheritance, two generations of practitioners facilitate the evolution of handicraft ICH though both co-creations and conflicts. Second, six cultural attributes for handicraft ICH as of material, pattern, shape, technique, image and system are identified to visualise the process of intergenerational evolution. Third, driven by internal and external factors, ICH evolves through tracks of inheritance, selection and variation as presented through the above six cultural attributes. Moreover, the interdependence of cultural elements highlights the heritage framework of handicraft ICH and reflects the fluidity of authenticity. Accordingly, theoretical contributions and future research directions are offered for the sustainable development of handicraft ICH.
Acknowledgements
This research is supported by Major topics of Zhejiang Culture Research Project: Series of research on the protection, uses and secession of Heritage in Zhejiang Province (21WH70080ZD), Innovative research on the protection, uses and secession of Zhejiang Industrial Heritage (21WH70080-3Z) , National Natural Science Foundation of China (42171232) and MOE Project of Humanities and Social Sciences (20YJCZH134). Thanks to two anonymous reviewers whose insightful comments greatly contribute to improving the clarity and coherence of this manuscript. We also extend our appreciation to The Arts & Crafts Museum of Hangzhou, Dr. Yan Jiang from Zhejiang International Studies University, and Graduate Student Jing Cai from Southeast University for their invaluable assistance during the fieldwork. Special thanks to 13 practitioners whose valuable experiences and insights formed the foundation of knowledge construction for this study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1. The list was announced jointly by Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, and China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center in 2021.The full list sees China’s inscription on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List (roster). Retrieved on January 23, 2023, from https://www.ihchina.cn/chinadirectory.html#target1.
2. The full list sees Representative List of State-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Projects. Retrieved on January 23, 2023, from https://www.ihchina.cn/project.html#target1.
3. In China, the Ministry of Culture was renamed as the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2018.
4. Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Strengthening the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage in China was launched by The Central People Government of the People’s Republic of China in 2005. Full text sees https://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2005–08/15/content_21681.htm., retrieved on April 7, 2024.
5. The law was issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2019, original text sees https://zwgk.mct.gov.cn/zfxxgkml/zcfg/bmgz/202012/t20201214_919516.html., retrieved on January 23, 2024.
6. The connotation of ICH inheritors is included from the law of National-level Intangible Cultural Heritage Representative Inheritor announced jointly by Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China, and China Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection.Original text sees from https://www.ihchina.cn/representative#target1., retrieved on February 20, 2024.
7. The establishment of ACMH was a component of the Hangzhou City Master Plan (2001–2020), which was initiated by the Hangzhou Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources in 2007. Retrieved on January 23, 2023, from http://ghzy.hangzhou.gov.cn/col/col1228962781/index.html.
8. See in the introduction of Oral History of the West Lake-The Arts & Crafts Museum of Hangzhou authored by The Arts & Crafts Museum of Hangzhou. Retrieved on January 23, 2023, from https://www.sohu.com/a/287525800_349225.
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Notes on contributors
Jiayu Wang
Jiayu Wang is a Master’s student in the School of Ecology and Environment at Renmin University of China, majoring in Sustainable Development Management. She holds the Bachelor Degree of Tourism Management from Southeast University, Nanjing, China. Her research interests include cultural heritage tourism, ecotourism and socio-natural impacts of tourism.
Ming Ming Su
Mingming Su is an Associate Professor at School of Ecology and Environment, Renmin University of China, Beijing. She holds degrees from the University of Waterloo in Canada and Tsinghua University in China. Her research focuses on heritage management, tourism impacts, tourism and community relations, and tourism issues in China.
Geoffrey Wall
Geoffrey Wall is Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Department of Geography and Environment Management, University of Waterloo, Canada. He holds qualifications from the universities of Leeds, Cambridge and Hull in the UK, and Toronto in Canada. His research focuses on tourism, recreation and socio-economic implications of climate change. He is involved in several tourism and environmental projects in China.
Hangyu Dong
Hangyu Dong is a PhD Student in the School of Ecology and Environment at Renmin University of China. Her scope of interest includes heritage tourism, rural governance, social organisation participation. She is an active practitioner, participating in voluntary activities of typical cooperatives in agricultural heritage sites and making long-term observations.
Huanzhou Zhang
Huanzhou Zhang is the President of Zhejiang International Studies University, Hangzhou, China. She is a Professor at International Research Centre of the Grand Canal and her research focuses on cultural heritage conservation and cultural tourism development, waterfront tourism.