And Paper Production Process And A Symbol Of Cultural Interpretation

Since the State Council issued the first Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2006, more and more public attention has been given to the intangible cultural heritage. People have become more aware of the fact that the intangible cultural heritage does not only embody the cultural diversity and human creativity, but also reveal the soul of a nation and the soul of a country. The intangible cultural heritage in China is spiritual home of the Chinese nation, and it depends on us heritage holders to safeguard, treasure, pass down, and develop.According to the definition of the "intangible cultural heritage" made by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), China explains this concept as "the practices, representations and expressions of the traditional cultures and cultural spaces that are closely related to common people's lives, and that are transmitted by people of all ethnic groups from generation to generation." It comprises oral traditions and expressions, including language as a vehicle of the intangible cultural heritage; the performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship. From such an explanation, we can see that the traditional craftsmanship is an important component of the intangible cultural heritage, and such a component shows that craft, as a form of expression, is demonstrated and developed by a certain nationality, or a certain people. The "heart" embodied in such an expression is in fact the soul of a nation.The traditional craft of papermaking is an important content of handicraft. Papermaking, such an important cultural heritage as one of the four great inventions of ancient China, made great contribution to the spread of the world civilization. When the Chinese papermaking was introduced to Japan, its craft also developed considerably and resulted in its unique feature, which is entitled "washi". By studying the craft of "washi", we can not only know about the intangible cultural heritage restoration and conservation in Japan, to gain inspiration for our conservation of handmade paper and explore a proper approach to the inheriting, preserving, developing and utilizing of our intangible cultural heritage, but also expand the Sino-Japanese cultural communications.According to the Symbol Anthropology, culture is "a symbol system that conveys messages and meanings that people manufacture." It consists of signifier, the signified and the coding. The "Washi Culture" is no exception. In this symbol system, "washi", as the symbol carrier of a surface structure, not only represents the form of "washi" as a material implement, but also comprises the related religious rituals and behaviors, sample contents shown in the plastic arts of "washi", and all kinds of other information as well. "Washi" has been widely applied in various fields of religion, folk custom, art, architecture, craftwork, related to different spheres of material culture, spiritual culture and system culture, and is undoubtedly an important carrier of the Japanese traditional culture. To study the "Washi Culture" is to explore the deep cultural connotations hidden below the surface structure of "washi", and furthermore to explore the development framework of the Japanese culture.The research data collected for this dissertation mainly comes from library documents, Internet, museum exhibitions and field survey. Unitizing a large amount of literature data and detailed illustrations is a distinguishing feature of this dissertation. The research presented in the dissertation is not only of great academic value, but also of important practical significance. There are many researches on traditional handicraft paper in China, but studying the Japanese "washi" from the perspective of the preservation of the intangible cultural heritage is almost blank. The author hopes that such a research can provide some useful reference to the development of the Chinese traditional papermaking, explore a new field in the study of cultural heritage, and give inspiration to the mission of the restoration and conservation of intangible cultural heritage.This dissertation is made up of introduction, four chapters in the main text and conclusion.The Introduction includes study background, literature summary and theory approach. Chapter One makes a brief description of the spread of papermaking and the development of "washi", discussing the cultural medium before the invention of paper and summarizing the production, types, features, raw materials and the place of production concerning "washi".Chapter Two mainly explores the craftsmanship of "washi", which is mainly divided into two categories as the white paper and the processed paper. The comparative method is adopted for the narration of the Japanese white paper craft, while the chronological order is followed for the narration of processed paper craft, from the Nara Period to modern times. The author intends to find out the framework of development in the processing technique of the Japanese "washi".Chapter Three focuses on the applications and functions of "washi" in such areas as calligraphy, arts, classical literature, architecture and decoration, materials for arts and crafts, and in common people's daily life. The author intends to interpret the historical mission undertaken by "washi" in cultural communications.Chapter Four aims at interpreting the symbolic meanings of the traditional "washi". Historical documents, Symbol Anthropology, and Interpretative Theory are consulted to study "washi" as a material appliance and related religious rituals and behaviors. In the author's opinion, the symbolic meanings of "washi" include,a) a religious symbol of the interaction between God and mankind.b) a symbol of folk customs and festivals.c) a symbol of auspiciousness and good fortuned) a symbol of strong emotions of poets and writerse) a symbol of social etiquettesf) a charm symbol of nature and artIn the Conclusion the author has a rough exploration of the cultural transmission of the traditional handmade paper by means of Sino-Japanese comparative studies. On the basis of surveying the Japanese protection system and situation of the intangible cultural heritage, some suggestions are made for our country's practice in protecting the valuable intangible cultural heritage.