Discussion on Sustainable Development Strategies of the Traditional Handicraft Industry Based on Su-Style Furniture in the Ming Dynasty
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sustainability Article Discussion on Sustainable Development Strategies of the Traditional Handicraft Industry Based on Su-Style Furniture in the Ming Dynasty Kuo-Kuang Fan and Ting-Ting Feng * Graduate School of Design, National Yunlin University of Science &Technology, 123 University Road, Section 3, Douliou 64002, Yunlin, Taiwan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +886-0903-783-706 Received: 20 January 2019; Accepted: 30 March 2019; Published: 4 April 2019 Abstract: The fabrication of traditional handicrafts is both an art creation activity and a social economic activity, meaning that the resulting works have dual artistic and economic characteristics. With the development of industrial mass production, the traditional handicraft industry is facing a series of challenges. For sustainable development of the traditional handicraft industry, first the establishment of its historical context and experience is necessary. Therefore, through an analysis of the competitive advantages of the Su-style furniture industry in the Ming Dynasty, this study first sorts out and summarizes the historical experience of the industry’s successful development. Next, sustainable development strategies for the contemporary traditional handicraft industry are explored, and opinions on the inheritance and development of the traditional handicraft industry at the present stage are put forward. Based on the diamond model, this study of Su-style furniture in the Ming Dynasty shows that its competitive advantages in this period included style, material, and skill, and the contributions of the government and consumer demand played important roles in these competitive advantages. Therefore, the current development of the traditional handicraft industry requires both external heritage protection of the government and the internal transformation and innovation of the industry. Keywords: traditional handicraft industry; sustainable development; Su-style furniture; industrial competitive advantages; diamond model 1. Introduction The production of the traditional Chinese handicraft is not only an artistic activity of creation but also a social and economic activity. It is an important component of traditional culture. As the main mode of production in the pre-industrial era, the traditional handicraft itself carries abundant information about traditional cultural codes that embody the unique cultural connotation and value of traditional culture. Handicrafts, for many countries, remain important to the unique cultural heritage of the nation [1]. Therefore, the traditional handicraft industry occupies an important position in both cultural and artistic development and economic development. The emergence of the Western industrial revolution changed people’s mode of production and gradually formed the dividing line between “tradition” and “modern.” With the continuous development of society, a large number of handicraft industries have transformed into machinery industries. Traditional handicraft industries have been greatly affected and are facing a series of challenges. At present, China is in a stage of rapid economic development. The social market economy is on the rise. The pace of people’s lives is becoming faster, and the demand for material life is increasing. In the presence of efficient industrial production, the traditional handicraft industry has Sustainability 2019, 11, 2008; doi:10.3390/su11072008 www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability Sustainability 2019, 11, 2008 2 of 21 Sustainability 2019, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 21 been pushed to the side. In 1989, the total international trade volume of handicraft products was USD 172.7products billion, was accounting USD 172.7 for billion, 5.59% accounting of the total internationalfor 5.59% of the trade total volume, international while China’s trade volume, export volume while wasChina’s USD export 2.7 billion, volume accounting was USD for2.7 onlybillion, 1.56% accounting of the total for only international 1.56% of the trade total volume international of handicraft trade productsvolume of [2 handicraft]. According products to the first [2]. national According census to th ofe thefirst handicraft national industrycensus of in the 2008 handicraft (Figure1 ),industry among inthe 2008 1881 (Figure kinds of 1), handicraft among the products 1881 kinds in the of nationalhandicraft census, products 988 (52.53%) in the national were in census, active development,988 (52.53%) were535 were in active struggling development, to survive, 535 244 were were struggling endangered, to andsurvive, 114 were 244 discontinuedwere endangered, [3]. In and view 114 of thesewere discontinueddismaying results, [3]. In the view sustainable of these development dismaying re ofsults, traditional the sustainable crafts has development become an important of traditional topic craftsin China. has become an important topic in China. Figure 1. Results of the first first national ce censusnsus of craft industry in 2008. China established the Chinese Traditional Arts and Crafts Association in 1995, started the compilation of China Arts and Crafts EncyclopediaEncyclopedia in 1996, and promulgated the Protection of Traditional Arts and CraftsCrafts inin 1997.1997. Internationally,Internationally, the United Nations Educational, ScientificScientific and Cultural OrganizationOrganization passed passed the the Convention Convention for thefor Safeguardingthe Safeguarding of the Intangibleof the Intangible Cultural HeritageCultural Heritageat its 32nd at sessionits 32nd in session 2003. Atin the2003. beginning At the beginning of 2004, the of Ministry2004, the ofMinistry Culture of launched Culture alaunched project toa protectproject to Chinese protect ethnic Chinese and ethnic folk cultural and folk relics. cultural Traditional relics. Traditional handicrafts handicrafts were included were in included the long-term in the long-termdevelopment development plan, which plan, generated which new generated circumstances new circumstances for the comprehensive for the comprehensive protection and protection research andof traditional research handicrafts.of traditional In handicrafts. the same year, In Chinathe same joined year, the ConventionChina joined for the the Convention Safeguarding for of the SafeguardingIntangible Cultural of the HeritageIntangible and Cultural became Heritage one of the and earliest became contracting one of the parties.earliest Bycontracting 2015, traditional parties. Byhandicrafts 2015, traditional had become handicrafts an important had focus become within an theimportant scope of protectionfocus within provided the scope by the of Convention. protection Theprovided Intangible by the Cultural Convention. Heritage The Law Intangible of the People’s Cultural Republic Heritage of Law China, of whichthe People’s came into Republic effect onof 1China, June 2011,which has came included into effect tens ofon thousands 1 June 2011, of itemshas included of traditional tens of handicraft thousands projects of items in theof traditional protection handicraftlists of national, projects provincial, in the municipal,protection and lists county-level of national, “Intangible provincial, Cultural municipal, Heritage” and and county-level opened up “Intangiblea new framework Cultural for Heritage” the sustainable and opened development up a new of traditionalframework handicrafts for the sustainable in China. development of traditionalThe sustainable handicrafts development in China. of the contemporary traditional handicraft industry requires, on the one hand,The sustainable sorting out development the experience of duringthe contemporary the development traditional process handicraft in a historical industry context; requires, on theon theother one hand, hand, it requiressorting out drawing the experience on the research during of the diff erentdevelopment contemporary process disciplines in a historical in a targeted context; way on theso that other it can hand, form it the requires three-dimensional drawing on coordinates the research of vertical of different time and contemporary horizontal culture disciplines [4]. Among in a targetedthese factors, way historicalso that it experience, can form the as anthree-dimens important culturalional coordinates resource, plays of vertical a key roletime in and promoting horizontal the culturecontinuous [4]. Among development these factors, of traditional historical handicrafts. experience, Therefore, as an important this study cultural puts traditional resource, handicraftsplays a key roleinto in the promoting overall context the continuous of history anddevelopment culture. From of traditional the historical handicrafts. context perspective,Therefore, this by study examining puts traditionalthe historical handicrafts experience into of the the competitive overall context advantages of history of the and Su-style culture. furniture From the industry historical in the context Ming perspective,Dynasty, this by paper examining first provides the historical a historical experience reference of for the the competitive sustainable advantages development of of the the Su-style current furnituretraditional industry handicrafts. in the Next, Ming strategies Dynasty, for thethis sustainable paper first development provides a ofhistorical contemporary reference traditional for the sustainablehandicrafts aredevelopment explored, and of suggestionsthe current fortraditional the inheritance handicrafts. and development Next, strategies of the for current the sustainable