[Liu Delong] Persistence and Flexibility

[Abstract] With the comprehensive and in-depth protection of intangible cultural heritage, the focus of its work has shifted from focusing mainly on collection, sorting and application to exploring protection methods and refining protection measures.

For some projects with productive nature and characteristics in the intangible cultural heritage, productive protection methods are proposed.

Productive protection methods are increasing the benefits of inheritors and local people, increasing their enthusiasm to promote excellent traditional culture and inherit intangible cultural heritage, promoting cultural consumption, expanding employment, improving people's livelihood, and achieving comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable regional economic, social and cultural development.

The positive role played by other aspects is beyond doubt.

However, it should be noted that while this protection method takes care of the essential attributes of intangible cultural heritage, it also has the momentum of "pan-industrialization" and modern mechanized production, the connection between traditional crafts and modern crafts of intangible cultural heritage products, and practical issues such as popularization and niche consumption of traditional folk crafts are worthy of our in-depth consideration.

[Keywords] Intangible cultural heritage; productive protection; tradition and modernity; industrialization

Intangible cultural heritage is a traditional cultural expression that is closely related to people's lives and passed down among the people from generation to generation.

It is a people-oriented living cultural heritage.

It emphasizes the skills, experience, regulations, customs, and spirit centered on people, and is characterized by the inheritance and evolution of living conditions.

Over the years, my country has always followed the policy of "protection first, rescue first, rational utilization, inheritance and development", and adopted legislative protection, rescue protection, holistic protection and productive protection based on different categories and different existing conditions of intangible cultural heritage projects.

Several protection methods.

Productive protection is mainly a protection means for intangible cultural heritage projects such as the production, creation, processing processes, and skills of traditional handicrafts, traditional art, and traditional medicine.

The so-called productive protection is to transform intangible cultural heritage and its resources into productivity and products through production, circulation, sales and other methods on the premise of following the development laws of such intangible cultural heritage projects, so that intangible cultural heritage can be actively protected in production activities that create social wealth.

Productive protection came into being in the process of exploring and carrying out my country's intangible cultural heritage protection work, and has important guiding significance for the protection of related intangible cultural heritage projects in my country.

However, due to deviations in the understanding of its connotation and views on related issues, once this concept was proposed, it caused controversy among experts, scholars and people in related fields: Some people tend to be conservative, emphasize the "authenticity" and "original ecology" of intangible cultural heritage, believe that inheritance and inheritance are higher than and greater than development and innovation, adhere to the cultural standard of heritage, and hope that all intangible cultural heritage will be pure and unchanging, especially resolutely oppose commercialization and industrialization, and hate the behavior of heritage development in the name of protection; Others are relatively radical, emphasizing the "variability" and "liveliness" of intangible cultural heritage, or advocating that inheritance is development and innovation from an academic point of view, believing that a considerable number of intangible cultural heritage projects have no survival value without change, or Promote the industrialization, commercialization and scale of certain intangible cultural heritage projects in practical actions.

Therefore,"persistence" or "flexibility" has always been the focus of debate in academic circles when discussing the productive protection of certain intangible cultural heritage events, especially folk handicraft projects.

It should have important academic value and practical significance to carefully analyze relevant issues in this regard and sort out some relationships that should be handled well in the protection of intangible cultural heritage.

Of course, there are still some people whose opinions are halfway between the two, and that adhering to tradition and reform and innovation go hand in hand.

Because only by adhering to tradition can we reflect the original meaning of the intangible cultural heritage elephant without becoming beyond recognition; only by innovation and development can we continuously stimulate the vitality of the intangible cultural heritage elephant itself, continuously sublimate it, and better inherit it.

It seems that those who hold the third view are eclectic and fence-sitters who have no personal stance and have a good balance.

But the author believes that this is precisely the most scientific and dialectical view and attitude.

The author himself is also an advocate and supporter of this idea.

I believe that persistence is necessary, and modification is inevitable; nothing in nature and human society is immutable; persistence is the prerequisite, and modification is the means; persistence is the adherence to the theme, theme, main body, connotation, essence, and spirit, not To adhere to 100% to all details, forms, materials, and techniques, it is not blindly conservative or unmutable; modification is not a denial, modification must be gradual, not completely subverted, and cannot be a new start.

This is not only in line with my country's practical work on intangible cultural heritage protection, but also in line with the spirit of the cultural "conventions" promulgated by UNESCO.

For example, the Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage points out that intangible cultural heritage must be continuously "innovated".

At the same time, the owners of intangible cultural heritage should have a sense of identity and history, thereby promoting cultural diversity and human creativity; the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions also clearly states that: The protection of intangible cultural heritage must reflect the "principle of complementarity between economic and cultural development" and the "principle of sustainable development".

On this basis, Article 37 of the "Intangible Cultural Heritage Law of the People's Republic of China" specifically elaborates on this: "The state encourages and supports the special advantages of intangible cultural heritage resources, and on the basis of effective protection, rationally utilize representative intangible cultural heritage projects to develop cultural products and cultural services with local and national characteristics and market potential."

We have seen that more and more people in academia and intangible cultural heritage workers have chosen such views and ideas.

Protecting traditions and developing innovation

The core definition of intangible cultural heritage protection in the UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage is: "Take measures to ensure the vitality of intangible cultural heritage." According to this guiding principle, we are required to carry forward the past and open up the future in the protection of handicraft intangible cultural heritage projects.

We must not only adhere to the "authenticity" of intangible cultural heritage, inherit and inherit the essence of traditional crafts, and ensure the "original ecology" of traditional crafts.

We must also adhere to development and innovation, keep pace with the times, and combine it with current production practice to maintain its strong vitality.

Traditional crafts originate from production practice and must be continuously developed and innovated in production practice.

If we only stick to tradition, do not know how to adapt, and adopt a "museum"-style protection method, it will inevitably lead to its disconnection from social development and its alienation from the real life of the masses.

Naturally, we will not be able to maintain its strong vitality and will sooner or later be Abandoned by social development.

However, if we overemphasize the value of intangible cultural heritage projects in modern economic development, only focus on maximizing economic benefits, focus on development and ignore protection, blindly engage in commercialization and industrialization of heritage, especially over-development in the name of protection, then it will In essence subvert the significance of heritage protection and is completely different from UNESCO's purpose of protecting heritage.

It is difficult for the temporarily prosperous economic benefits to ensure the long-term inheritance and healthy development of intangible cultural heritage.

Mr.

Liu Xicheng believes: "The sign of the success or failure of intangible cultural heritage protection lies in that no matter what method is adopted, including productive and industrial methods, it must be based on the core skills of the intangible cultural heritage project, not just technology) and the original cultural implications of the core values.

Protection of integrity is the prerequisite, rather than at the expense of the authenticity, integrity and inherent cultural implications of its skills." The policy of productive protection came into being in the practice of carrying out intangible cultural heritage protection.

It is a protection method that focuses on maintaining the authenticity, integrity and inheritance of intangible cultural heritage, and transforms intangible cultural heritage and its resources into material products.

In production practice, it not only retains the authenticity of traditional crafts but also integrates their cultural connotations and technical values into physical products, allowing the public to not only feel its profound historical and cultural connotations and superb traditional craftsmanship, but also make full use of its practical value to truly integrate it into real life.

It should be said that this is an effective countermeasure to protect craft intangible cultural heritage projects.

For example, Dong 'e Zhenfu brand E-jiao making technology is a national-level intangible cultural heritage list.

While sorting out, restoring and promoting traditional skills such as "Jiuchao tribute glue", its inheritors continue to develop and innovate, incorporating new processes, new equipment and new materials.

The materials have been put into production, and new products such as new dosage forms of E-jiao, E-jiao raw powder, and peach blossoms have been developed that are easy to take and carry, allowing this E-jiao technology that has been passed down for thousands of years to keep pace with the development of the times.

This move not only allows traditional traditional Chinese medicine culture to return to the public's vision, but also continuously develops new products that meet the needs of the international market.

It enables Dong 'e E-jiao to achieve the perfect combination of tradition and modernity, intangible cultural heritage and market in productive protection that combines inheritance and innovation., injecting new vitality into the inheritance and development of Dong' e E-jiao in the new era.

Similarly, Zibo's ceramic firing skills are regarded as a national-level intangible cultural heritage list.

While inheriting the precious wealth of their fathers and actively organizing the restoration of celadon production, they adhere to the combination of antiquity and innovation.

They have made in-depth exploration and improvement on the formula, work shape, decorative patterns, etc., and continuously improve the artistic effect of celadon texture, so that the product not only has the characteristics of high whiteness, good light transmission, and smooth glaze, but also achieves high mechanical strength and good thermal stability.

Standards.

Productive protection provides a strong guarantee for the inheritance and development of Zibo's ceramic firing skills in contemporary society, and plays a positive role in promoting Lu celadon to go abroad and promote my country's ceramic culture.

Understanding the connotation of productive protection is the prerequisite for intangible cultural heritage protection.

We should be clear: Handicraft skills are formed over long production practice and have been passed down from generation to generation by our ancestors to this day.

It represents the essence of craftsmanship, and adhering to craftsmanship is the bottom line for productive protection of intangible cultural heritage.

At the same time, handicrafts are also inseparable from the practical needs of people's production and life in contemporary society.

If it is completely divorced from actual needs, it will be impossible to continue production, and the significance of protection will be lost.

Paying equal attention to protecting tradition and reform and innovation is the true meaning of productive protection.

Product production and art production

Product production has always accompanied the development of human society and is a process in which human beings create or add value to wealth.

In the long history of development, traditional handicrafts have always played a great role in people's lives.

Various daily necessities with different materials, shapes, exquisite structures and complete functions met people's needs in all aspects of clothing, food, housing and transportation at that time, and provided a material foundation for the development of society.

After entering an industrialized society, with the arrival of the era of mechanized large-scale production, the degree of socialization and modernization has become increasingly high, people's lifestyles have undergone tremendous changes, machine production has gradually replaced manual labor, and traditional crafts have gradually become depressed and even extinct in the development process of history.

To this day, basically all the products needed for people's daily lives are produced by machines.

However, the production methods of many works of art that are not necessary for social development and the daily life of all people have been retained for decades or hundreds of years.

The tradition of raw materials and pure handicraft processing and production have been used for decades.

The products produced by machinery are single and convergent, lack individuality, lack cultural connotation and artistic characteristics, and are mainly to meet people's daily life needs, but it is difficult to achieve the purpose of improving the quality of life.

The art produced by handicrafts contains more of human nature, society, region and history.

It has rich cultural connotations and high artistic taste.

It pays more attention to meeting people's needs for elegant life.

After people meet their basic material needs, the demand for art is always increasing, and they pay more and more attention to the making of art, which ultimately makes traditional handicrafts occupy an indispensable and important position in today's social production.

This is also one of the goals of intangible cultural heritage protection.

Compared with the production of daily life products, the most prominent feature of the process of making works of art is the dominance of handicrafts in the process of making and creating them.

The production of products used in general daily life is mainly done automatically by machines, with little labor, let alone manual skills.

For example, the production process of ordinary calendars and calendars we use every day basically consists of designing the patterns on a computer and then delivering them to a printing machine for batch printing.

The highlight is their practicality.

In contrast, the production process of Yangjiabu woodblock New Year paintings, a national intangible cultural heritage, some of which also have the nature of an annual calendar, is much more cumbersome.

It has gone through dozens of small and small processes, from drawing and stereotyping to printing, baking and lighting, etc., basically all of which are completed by hand.

This hand-completed work of art has a wide range of themes, different images, and superb craftsmanship.

It contains a strong local flavor and a simple artistic style, which not only demonstrates its practical functions, but also highlights its aesthetic interest and artistic value.

Productive protection is the inheritance and protection of traditional skills.

It does not require the production process of art to be "purely handmade" and vigorously exclude other tools, but emphasizes the need to maintain the core skills of handmade production.

The so-called core skills are those skills that best reflect the creativity, wisdom, ability of workers, as well as their cultural and historical accumulation.

In the process of making works of art, in order to reduce the physical consumption of the producer and not affect the quality of the work in the production process, tools can of course be used for production, which can greatly improve production efficiency and output.

However, in some parts that are closely integrated with human emotions, in areas that cause differences, and in areas where human wisdom can be extended, their craftsmanship should be highly maintained.

Only in this way can we ensure the advantages of human wisdom and craftsmanship be perfectly reflected.

This is also the essence and life of handmade art.

Therefore, our traditional handicrafts must not lose the core link of "handmade creation"."Once the handmade creation that embodies the life of the work is lost, traditional handicrafts will inevitably disintegrate."

The biggest difference between the art production process and the production process of daily life products is that the core skills are completed manually.

This is the most important value of manual labor and the focus of productive protection of intangible cultural heritage.

In this regard, targeted protection can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Traditional crafts and modern crafts

The so-called traditional craftsmanship generally contains three meanings: first, it has a long history, second, it uses natural materials, and third, it is manual operation with no or little help from modern technology.

The traditional crafts of various handicraft types of intangible cultural heritage projects are an important part of Chinese traditional culture.

They embody the wisdom and creation of the Chinese nation for thousands of years and contain rich traditional cultural values and historical significance.

Modern processes have high technological content, electronic design, mechanized production, strong innovation mechanisms, and can be produced in large quantities to meet market consumption demand quickly.

Compared with modern crafts, the advantage of traditional crafts lies in its profound cultural heritage, as Mr.

Liu Kuili, deputy director of the National Expert Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection, said:"The handmade process of folk skills is itself an intangible cultural practice.

The national character, traditional culture, the producer's personal cultural creation and emotional investment will eventually materialize into the finished products of this practice.

Because of this, when we see imitations and mass-produced industrial products, we feel that this is not the case at all." The disadvantages are mainly manifested in the following three aspects: First, traditional crafts have a long history, but the techniques have not kept pace with the times, and some are difficult to meet the needs of social development and the improvement of people's lives; Second, the artistic value is high but the practical value is small, making it difficult to meet the consumption needs of modern life in today's society; Third, the inheritance method is relatively conservative.

The traditional family inheritance, inheritance between apprentices and apprentices, and even the custom of passing on children or daughter-in-law but not daughters hinder its development.

How to improve traditional crafts, fully tap the practicality and artistic potential of traditional crafts, make them consistent with the needs of modern society, and ultimately become a new coordinate for leading trend consumption is an issue that needs to be solved urgently for productive protection.To achieve the innovation of traditional crafts, we must first clarify the cultural accumulation and artistic value of traditional crafts and give them an accurate positioning; secondly, we must actively carry out technological innovation to improve the use and aesthetic functions of handicrafts.

We must not only highlight traditional characteristics but also have contemporary innovation and development of culture and aesthetics; the third is to break through the limitations of traditional inheritance methods and achieve multi-channel inheritance through society, schools and other channels.

Although traditional crafts and modern crafts have their own advantages and disadvantages, traditional crafts have obvious disadvantages in the market competition with modern crafts.

The shortcomings of traditional crafts, such as time-consuming, small output, and expensive prices, cover up many advantages such as high artistic level and rich cultural connotation.

If they cannot be improved in time and cannot be accepted and consumed by society, then traditional handicrafts will naturally no longer be able to devote themselves to creation with enthusiasm, and traditional crafts will face the dilemma of no successor.

How to find a suitable point for the development of traditional crafts in contemporary society is particularly important: First, follow the route of high-quality products.

The national intangible cultural heritage list Dongchang gourd carving art is well-known at home and abroad.

Representative inheritors have high requirements for the quality of their works.

The number of works created every year is not large, but each piece is high-quality, and each piece is priced at tens of thousands of yuan.

The price was bought by collectors.

The high price is an affirmation of their artistic quality and also an affirmation of traditional handicrafts.

The second is to follow the popularization route.

Traditional crafts originate from people's living practices.

Traditional handicrafts such as clay sculpture, dough sculpture, and paper-cutting are very popular among ordinary people.

They have a deep mass foundation among the people.

As the popularity of traditional crafts continues to increase, more people will have more interest in them.

The third is to follow the market-oriented route.

Feicheng peach wood carving received four to five million orders in two days at the first China Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo.

Through this expo, the domestic market was completely opened up, providing a good opportunity for the inheritance and development of Feicheng peach wood carving.

In fact, traditional crafts such as New Year paintings and stone carving all have strong market demand.

Only by following the market-oriented route can their cultural connotation and technical value be recognized by more consumers.

Compared with modern crafts, traditional crafts have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Although traditional crafts currently have obvious disadvantages in processing efficiency, with the continuous deepening of productive protection, the popularity and competitiveness of traditional crafts will continue to be improved, ushering in the spring of their development.