Research On Gold Consumption Culture In Kashga

Consumer culture is formed under the joint influence of multiple factors,such as various natural and humanistic ecological environments,political systems and historical traditions,ways of economic production and styles of life,aesthetics and values.Therefore,it is characterized with distinct regionality and ethnicity.Kashgar of Xinjiang,which is located at the core node of the middle section of the Silk Road,also has its own consumer culture.The gold consumption culture is the most typical and representative one in Kashgar.Not only does it retain the historical memory of multi-cultural integration in this region and reflect the tortuous track of the formation and development of the Chinese ethnic cultural community,but also it faces the challenges and transformation of contemporary marketization and globalization.By using multidisciplinary theories and methods,this paper investigates the historical process,development law and characteristics of the formation and evolution of the gold consumption culture in Xinjiang,especially in Kashgar,from a diachronic perspective.On this basis,the author tries to reveal the social role and gender culture of Uygur women in traditional and modern society from a synchronic viewpoint by focusing on the current situation of modern Uygur women’s gold consumption culture in Kashgar,especially in old town,and its relationship with social life.This thesis consists of three parts: introduction,main body and conclusion.The main part is divided into six chapters,and the specific contents are as follows.The first chapter briefly expounds the natural environment and humanistic ecological background of Kashgar’s gold and gold culture,including local natural geography,climate environment,resources and minerals(especially gold),Kashgar’s history and culture,production mode and social evolution etc.,so as to clarify the tortuous course that Kashgar undergone during the formation of regional business,political and cultural center,and the complexity of the multicultural integration and development.Meanwhile,it also introduces the spatial structure,production mode and social living conditions of the residents of the old town in Kashgar in order to clarify the spatial and social scene of the contemporary gold consumption culture in Kashgar.The second chapter diachronically expounds the phased development and main characteristics of gold resources distribution,production,trade and consumption in Xinjiang from the prehistoric period to the time of Republic of China.It analyzes the general laws of the formation and development of gold culture in Kashgar,and reveals its relationship with political evolution,economic development,social reform,ethnic blending and cultural change.It illustrates that gold consumption culture in Xinjiang is the product of the formation and development of the multi-ethnic integration pattern in history,and shows that this long tradition of gold consumption culture still has different degrees of influence on the social life of local residents.The third chapter mainly sorts out the main context of gold production and consumption in Kashgar after the founding of new China,and reveals that under the background of political and social changes,the local gold production and trade has been greatly developed.What’s more,the processing technology,shape and types of gold jewelry have been greatly improved and enriched,and the social and cultural significance of gold consumption has been fundamentally changed.The establishment of an equal social system has made gold consumption more popular.Besides,our party and state’s policy support and preference for the ethnic special needs economy have also met the gold consumption needs of local Uyghur people at all levels to a great extent.The development of Uyghur gold consumption culture in Kashgar has entered a new era.The fourth chapter discusses the multi-level social and cultural significance of gold and its various ornaments in the life etiquette of Uyghur women in Kashgar,and the relationship between female gender culture and their body ornaments by using the theory of cultural function.It also illustrates the impact of the gender-based life ceremony in the long-term historical development process on the consumption mode and psychology of gold jewelry which is considered as a social identity symbol.Futhermore,it shows the stable model of self cognition,interest,aesthetics,hobbies and gender-based identity framework and behavior norms,which is formed under the influence of women’s social gender culture.By investigating and analyzing the gold consumption and its characteristics in each stage of wedding ceremony,which is the most typical in all life ceremonies,this paper explains the restrictive and mandatory role of the ritual ceremony on people’s consumption behavior.Therefore,it shows the characteristics of conspicuous consumption,existing problems,and the status,standardization and future development trend of gold consumption in the contemporary Uyghur socio-economic and cultural life.From the evolution of gold consumption culture,it can be seen that women’s social roles,life ceremony and gold jewelry development are complement.They become the internalized cultural characteristics in cognition and interest and forms the consumption characteristics dominated by women.Based on the field investigation,the fifth chapter discusses the impact of multiple factors on the changes of local Uyghur’s gold consumption motivation from the aspects of gold economic and cultural value,Kashgar women’s lifestyle,family relations and social roles etc.By comprehensively using the relevant consumption theories of ethnology,sociology and anthropology,this paper focuses on the relationship among contemporary Uyghur women’s gold consumption culture and social structure,social relations,women’s social status,consumption habits and social behavior.It also expounds the appearance of the contemporary Uyghur social and cultural reform in the field of gold consumption.As a symbol of women’s social role and identity,gold jewelry is worn by women,dominated by women,flows among women,and participates in the process of establishing social relations,reconstructing social identity and improving social status.Gold jewelry exists in the form of women’s inheriting property.Besides,women dominate the redistribution of family wealth through the consumption space created by consumption role and social role,become consumption strategists and beneficiaries,and realize economic rights and interests.The practical initiative of women’s gold consumption is the interest and habit formed in the long-term social and historical process.It shows that gold plays a practical and symbolic role in improving women’s family and social status,and in maintaining social integration.The sixth chapter analyzes and summarizes the motivation and characteristics behind Uyghur women’s gold consumption in Kashgar by using luxury consumption theory and conspicuous consumption theory.The conspicuous characteristic of Kashgar women’s gold consumption culture takes the social and economic development,national political and economic system,market reform and the overall social and economic development as the background,and is produced under the influence of traditional social culture,customs,social relations,and aesthetics.It is mandatory and normative.At the same time,as a part of traditional consumption culture,conspicuous consumption plays an important role in promoting the popularization and fashionable trend of the contemporary gold consumption culture.Through the differentiation of social strata reflected by the fashionable trend and symbolization of gold consumption culture,this paper shows the development and evolution trend of contemporary Uyghur’s social consumption culture from the perspective of gold consumption culture.Finally,it discusses the development of the local gold market and expounds the influence of group consumption characteristics that shows in consuming behavior on the formation and development trend of gold market.Besides,it also explains the relationship among national relevant financial policies,local gold market and individual consumption behavior.On the basis of the above researches,the conclusion part comprehensively and systematically summarizes the regional,ethnic and contemporary characteristics of Kashgar’s gold consumption culture and its inheritance,function and diversity in the development of social culture from the perspectives of economic lifestyle transformation,social and cultural transformation and urban living space transformation.It also expounds the contemporary value and practical significance of gold consumption culture in Uyghur economic and social development,and the path choice of its normal and healthy development.