Inheritance and Protection of Grass Cloth from the Perspective of Cultural Ecology
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Abstract
This paper examined the inheritance and protection of grass cloth from a cultural ecology perspective. Through a field survey of the core production areas of grass cloth in Jiangxi Province, this study provided a comprehensive analysis of the cultural ecology of grass cloth development and local protection initiatives in Wanzai and Fenyi. The study involved data collection from 10 participants, including grass cloth inheritors, cultural center staff, enterprise founders, and factory employees, using unstructured observation and semi-structured interviews. The analysis used qualitative coding methods to uncover key themes concerning inheritance methods, policy measures, and cultural ecological changes, along with a chronological examination of development phases. The core findings revealed that the integration of culture and tourism, regional branding, and inheritance support mechanisms has facilitated the sustainable preservation and transformation of grass cloth techniques, overcoming challenges such as declining numbers of artisans and market competition. It was found that Wanzai and Fenyi have constructed a systematic path for ecological protection and diversified development by constructing a three-in-one inheritance strategy of “systematic protection of cultural ecology, characteristic branding development, and support mechanism for inheritors,” achieving the systematic protection and modern transformation of traditional crafts while providing a model for local characteristic cultural industry upgrading.
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