Traditional Crafts And Cultural Diversity

The Miao silver forging technique was selected as a national-level intangible cultural heritage metal traditional craft in 2006,and it is a representative of the traditional craft in the Miao region.The silver forging skills and derived silver products have become an important carrier for recording the production and life of the Miao people.At present,the Miao silver forging technology is facing many difficulties such as industrial impact and lack of skilled personnel.The inheritance and protection of traditional crafts are in a critical period.There is little research on the Miao silver forging technology.Lack of systematic study from the perspective of the history of science and technology,discussion on scientific principles and humanistic values,few scholars conduct the research from the perspective of Arts and crafts.This article takes the Miao silver jewelry forging technique as the research object.The methods such as literature research,field investigation and comprehensive comparison are applied to the research.The article firstly sorts out the development history of the Miao silver jewelry craft,which considers the emergence of the systematic Miao silver jewelry technology should be no later than the middle of the Ming Dynasty.The article focuses on analyzing each process of the Miao silver jewelry forging technique: melting silver,casting,forging,drawing,knitting,engraving,welding and washing,and discusses the scientific principles,humanistic value,and economic benefits of the Miao silver jewelry forging technique.It is considered that the silver forging skills of the Miao are significantly different from those of other nations,and the core features of the technology are forging and engraving;the two places in Leishan County and Fenghuang County are slightly different in silver decoration techniques and pattern culture.The silver jewelry technique in Leishan County is traditional with simple patterns and has the cultural characteristics of the native Miao.The silver jewelry technique in Fenghuang County is advanced and employs modern machinery to assist in production.The silver jewelry model actively absorbs foreign ethnic patterns.The core of the development of traditional craftsmanship is inheritance,revitalization and protection.This article selects the perspective of intangible cultural heritage and the theory of world cultural diversity,studies Leishan County in Guizhou Province as a typical case of silver jewelry inheritance,analyzes the current status,heritage difficulties and inheritance characteristics of silver jewelry skills in Leishan County.Some suggestions are put forward for the inheritance of the next generation of silver jewelry forging technique.In addition,the article also takes Fenghuang County in Hunan Province as an example,discusses the evolution of pure silver forging technology to silver plating technology of Miao in Fenghuang County,analyzes the location factors that affect the development of the silver jewelry market,and summarizes the reasons for the innovation and the success of revitalization of the silver ornaments and their processes in Fenghuang County,and puts forward the corresponding strategies for the revitalization.The article analyzes the current protection methods,paths and measures of silversmithing and forging skills in the Miao area,and believes that traditional crafts in minority areas should pay more attention to the protection of cultural diversity.