A Study On The Material Culture Of She People In Fujian And Zhejiang Regions From Qing Dynasty To The Republic Of China

Material Culture is not only the subject of study but also a theoretical perspective.As a subject,the study of Material Culture centers upon both creation and the usage of material objects.As a perspective,it provides a wider range of vision in which material objects can be understood in its specific historical and cultural context.An isolated object has no meaning and it has value only if it is placed in the dimension of "relationship".The symbolic signs and cultural information given to objects by people are also interpreted and accepted by people.The material culture needs to be interpreted in its historical context and be studied within the relationship between "people,things,and environment" in a specific time and space.This paper studies the material culture of She people in Fujian and Zhejiang regions from Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,revealing She people's society and its culture in the specific time and space.Based on the date collected and classified from historical documents and the field investigations,it analyzes the relationship between the material objects and the culture of She people.Material production is the basis of all cultures.According to She people's migration and settlement patterns in the natural environment of Fujian and Zhejiang Mountains,this paper centers on the function of material objects and investigates the She people's production system in which people's way of life,tool technology and natural environment adapt to each other in the material production from Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China.When it comes to the realm of spiritual belief,material objects have their symbolic meanings.The She people incorporated the most cherished sacrificial vessels into the ritual space.In this symbolic world,She people constructed a complete system of identity and social status and hierarchy through material media such as ritual utensils,consumption,and clothing.The image logos represented by clothing are produced by the cultural difference between the She people and the "other".Within its the historical context,this paper compares She people's clothing with Han people's clothing as the "other" vertically and horizontally.The image logos embody both the materialization of She people's culture beliefs and the acculturation of Han people's dress.Most of image logos eventually declined and even disappeared in the material exchange between She people and Han people except a few of them which were reserved because of compulsory political factors.Because the material objects contain a large amount of technical and cultural information,as well as the visual presentation of decorative patterns or folk art attached to them,what's behind the various material exchanges between She people and Han people is the flow of information with materials as the medium and its cultural dissemination.The She people's acceptance of the material culture of Han people is the acceptance of Han culture and the absorption of technology.The "imported" material culture from Han people affected every aspect of She people's life,and finally promoted the change of She people's culture.To sum up,the material culture of She people in Fujian and Zhejiang regions from the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China reflects the cultural ecology of She people and the natural environment,She people and She people society,and between She people and Han people.