Mitigating Income Inequality and Stigma for Inheritors of Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Case Study of Yuping Xiao and Dizi
Author: Wenzhengze Guan
1 Commentries
Abstract: This report explores in depth the development challenges of Yuping Xiao and Dizi making skills in Guizhou, China, and finds that inheritors face problems such as low wages and occupational stigma. Drawing on international examples, the report proposes strategies to create interactive experience spaces and community interpretation centers to protect and develop intangible cultural heritage and enhance the social status and income of inheritors.
Keywords: Intangible Cultural Heritage, Challenges Faced by Inheritors, Low Income and Occupational Stigma, Community Education and Interactive Experience
Discussion:
This report makes an in-depth discussion on the development status of the making skills of Yuping Xiao and Dizi in Guizhou, a national intangible cultural heritage of China. The report found that although these traditional crafts are recognized as intangible cultural heritage and actively promoted, producers still face many difficulties in inheriting and developing the skills due to issues such as low wages and occupational stigma.
Intangible cultural heritage is gradually becoming an important resource for global cultural tourism (Kim et al., 2019). However, how to realize commercialization while protecting its authenticity and the rightful status of inheritors has become a major challenge. It is worth noting that the value of intangible cultural heritage lies in the interaction between inheritors and practices (Su et al., 2020). However, in the current practice, the public pays little attention to the inheritors and even stigmatizes them, which makes the interests of the inheritors cannot be adequately protected (Zhang et al., 2021).
Take the making skills of Yuping Xiao and Dizi in Guizhou as an example. Although the local government is actively promoting these two traditional Musical Instruments, traditional craftsmen have failed to gain actual benefits from the development of tourism. Many factors aggravate the dilemma of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. Guizhou Province has a relatively low economic level and relatively low wages. Therefore, many local young people turn to big cities in eastern China to seek better job opportunities. Under these circumstances, fewer and fewer young people are willing to spend five years learning how to make Xiao and Dizi. Moreover, as Zhang et al. (2021) pointed out in their study of embroidery, children are often warned that "if you don't study hard, you will have to do embroidery work in the future". This negative evaluation objectively reflects the low social status of the profession, which is another reason why so few people choose to take up the craft.
The case of the Feast of the Drunken Dragon (Macao) shows us how the event gained a high status in the local community by bringing benefits to all stakeholders. Rich performances during festivals not only attract a large number of tourists to develop Macao's tourism industry, but also meet the needs of local people to celebrate festivals. The case of Isfahan in Iran further illustrates how intangible cultural heritage can be used to promote tourism. Isfahan attracts tourists with its unique cultural heritage, such as musical instrument making workshops and traditional handicraft workshops, which not only enhances tourists' perception of the authenticity of the destination, but also has a positive impact on the development of local intangible cultural heritage.
In view of the problems faced by China's intangible cultural heritage such as Yuping Xiao and Dizi making skills, this paper proposes two possible solutions. One is to create an interactive experience space for tourists and intangible cultural heritage inheritors, such as setting up workshops, so as to enhance the sense of participation of tourists and improve the benefits and popularity of inheritors. The second is to set up interpretation centers in communities to enhance public understanding and respect for intangible cultural heritage through educational means to improve the social status of inheritors.
Although the implementation of these two strategies can bring many benefits, such as promoting the dissemination and understanding of intangible cultural heritage, increasing the income and visibility of inheritors, and changing the negative cognition of the profession of intangible cultural heritage inheritors in the community, our research still has some limitations, such as the region of case selection and the applicability of solutions.
In general, the key to protecting and developing intangible cultural heritage, safeguarding history and culture, promoting social justice and local development lies in the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage (Su et al., 2020). This requires a broad range of relevant parties, including the government, communities, tourists and the inheritors, to work together to better protect and develop these cultural treasures, so as to promote the prosperity of local tourism and promote the realization of social equity and justice.
References:
Kim, S., Whitford, M. and Arcodia, C. (2019) Development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource: The intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ perspectives. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 14(5-6), 422-435.
Su, X., Li, X., Wu, Y. and Yao, L. (2020) How is intangible cultural heritage valued in the eyes of inheritors? Scale development and validation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(5), 806-834.
Zhang, X., Li, Y., Lin, J. and Ye, Y. (2021) The Construction of Placeness in Traditional Handicraft Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Suzhou Embroidery. Sustainability, 13(16):9176. Available from https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169176. [accessed 11 May 2023]
Keywords: Intangible Cultural Heritage, Challenges Faced by Inheritors, Low Income and Occupational Stigma, Community Education and Interactive Experience
Discussion:
This report makes an in-depth discussion on the development status of the making skills of Yuping Xiao and Dizi in Guizhou, a national intangible cultural heritage of China. The report found that although these traditional crafts are recognized as intangible cultural heritage and actively promoted, producers still face many difficulties in inheriting and developing the skills due to issues such as low wages and occupational stigma.
Intangible cultural heritage is gradually becoming an important resource for global cultural tourism (Kim et al., 2019). However, how to realize commercialization while protecting its authenticity and the rightful status of inheritors has become a major challenge. It is worth noting that the value of intangible cultural heritage lies in the interaction between inheritors and practices (Su et al., 2020). However, in the current practice, the public pays little attention to the inheritors and even stigmatizes them, which makes the interests of the inheritors cannot be adequately protected (Zhang et al., 2021).
Take the making skills of Yuping Xiao and Dizi in Guizhou as an example. Although the local government is actively promoting these two traditional Musical Instruments, traditional craftsmen have failed to gain actual benefits from the development of tourism. Many factors aggravate the dilemma of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. Guizhou Province has a relatively low economic level and relatively low wages. Therefore, many local young people turn to big cities in eastern China to seek better job opportunities. Under these circumstances, fewer and fewer young people are willing to spend five years learning how to make Xiao and Dizi. Moreover, as Zhang et al. (2021) pointed out in their study of embroidery, children are often warned that "if you don't study hard, you will have to do embroidery work in the future". This negative evaluation objectively reflects the low social status of the profession, which is another reason why so few people choose to take up the craft.
The case of the Feast of the Drunken Dragon (Macao) shows us how the event gained a high status in the local community by bringing benefits to all stakeholders. Rich performances during festivals not only attract a large number of tourists to develop Macao's tourism industry, but also meet the needs of local people to celebrate festivals. The case of Isfahan in Iran further illustrates how intangible cultural heritage can be used to promote tourism. Isfahan attracts tourists with its unique cultural heritage, such as musical instrument making workshops and traditional handicraft workshops, which not only enhances tourists' perception of the authenticity of the destination, but also has a positive impact on the development of local intangible cultural heritage.
In view of the problems faced by China's intangible cultural heritage such as Yuping Xiao and Dizi making skills, this paper proposes two possible solutions. One is to create an interactive experience space for tourists and intangible cultural heritage inheritors, such as setting up workshops, so as to enhance the sense of participation of tourists and improve the benefits and popularity of inheritors. The second is to set up interpretation centers in communities to enhance public understanding and respect for intangible cultural heritage through educational means to improve the social status of inheritors.
Although the implementation of these two strategies can bring many benefits, such as promoting the dissemination and understanding of intangible cultural heritage, increasing the income and visibility of inheritors, and changing the negative cognition of the profession of intangible cultural heritage inheritors in the community, our research still has some limitations, such as the region of case selection and the applicability of solutions.
In general, the key to protecting and developing intangible cultural heritage, safeguarding history and culture, promoting social justice and local development lies in the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage (Su et al., 2020). This requires a broad range of relevant parties, including the government, communities, tourists and the inheritors, to work together to better protect and develop these cultural treasures, so as to promote the prosperity of local tourism and promote the realization of social equity and justice.
References:
Kim, S., Whitford, M. and Arcodia, C. (2019) Development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource: The intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ perspectives. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 14(5-6), 422-435.
Su, X., Li, X., Wu, Y. and Yao, L. (2020) How is intangible cultural heritage valued in the eyes of inheritors? Scale development and validation. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(5), 806-834.
Zhang, X., Li, Y., Lin, J. and Ye, Y. (2021) The Construction of Placeness in Traditional Handicraft Heritage Sites: A Case Study of Suzhou Embroidery. Sustainability, 13(16):9176. Available from https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169176. [accessed 11 May 2023]