The Living Inheritance of Li Ethnic Patterns, Paper-Cutting, and Brocade Craftsmanship in Contemporary Hainan: A Study of Sustainable Transmission
Abstract
The transition of traditional Li textile techniques from UNESCO's List in Need of Urgent Safeguarding to the Representative List in late 2024 marks a crucial juncture in Indigenous heritage discourse. This paper examines the "living inheritance" of Li patterns, paper-cutting, and brocade within the tension between modernization and cultural authenticity. Through a material analysis of the Qing-dynasty "Five Dragons Emerging from the Sea" dragon-quilt and an empirical study of the "University-Industry-Inheritor" nexus at Hainan Normal University, the research identifies generational rupture, economic marginalization, and semiotic thinning. Transcending static preservation, this paper puts forward a multi-dimensional framework, encompassing policy empowerment, pedagogical transmission, and institutional innovation, to cultivate the endogenous capacity of intangible cultural heritage (ICH). The findings suggest that sustainable inheritance requires a "living nature" approach between symbolic integrity and market transformation to keep Li craftsmanship as a living practice.
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