The Yi people, China’s sixth-largest ethnic minority, are mainly located in Liangshan Yi Autonomous County, Sichuan Province. Picture above is a hairstyle called “Tianpusa.” Yi men traditionally wear their hair long.

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Home to the Zang (Tibetan), Qiang and Yi ethnic minorities, Sichuan Province is rich in ethnic minority cultural heritage. The prairie-oriented Amdo Zang (Tibetan) cultural zone, the Qiang cultural zone in Mao County, and the Yi cultural zone near Liangshan all have their own distinct local characteristics.

The cultural assets of ethnic minority cultures are a key part of China’s national spirit and cultural identity, so preserving them is of the utmost importance.

 

Intangible heritage
The unique cultures of ethnic minorities in China are diverse and contain distinct local features. In recent years, great progress has been made in the preservation of minority cultures.

Wu Xingzhi, a professor from Yunnan Minzu University, said minority cultures are essentially ordinary people’s daily life practices. Cultural practices based on villages as social units reflect local communities’ acknowledgement of heaven, earth and the people. The components that make up these villages, such as the village ecology and customs are crucial to the preservation of minority cultures.

Wu said that there are three key aspects to the current efforts to preserve minority cultures: preservation of intangible cultural heritage as the main form, construction of characteristic towns and that of traditional Chinese villages as supplementary aspects. To carry out these goals, a preservation network has been established to streamline the necessary political, regulatory, construction, investment and preservation tasks.

But under the current model for preservation, government agencies at all levels are the main promoters, with cultural elites of ethnic minority groups as the main practitioners. Local minority people are expected to be more active participants.

Zhan Ying, deputy dean of the Sichuan Cultural Industry Development Research Center, put forward five key reasons for recent achievements in this area. First, the state has made laws and regulations to ensure the orderly development of cultural protection of ethnic minorities. Second, specialized agencies for the preservation of minority cultures have been formed to coordinate and organize the protection of minority culture. Third, infrastructure such as cultural centers, libraries and museums have been built in ethnic minority regions to spread minority culture. Fourth, a large number of talented individuals from ethnic minority groups have been cultivated. Fifth, academic research on minority culture has been emerging, laying solid foundations for future research.

However, the minority cultures in certain areas are not well preserved with some even facing extinction. Professional talent and investment are lacking, and the younger generations failed to pay enough attention to their own cultures.

 

Cultural diversity
Ji Tie, vice dean of the School of Art and Design at Hunan University, said the preservation of minority cultures requires lasting and balanced efforts. Success will require patient support from society at different levels. More professionals must study minority culture, and promote design and innovation, raise production efficiency and develop new business models. Cultural assets must help boost people’s spiritual wealth and tangible income.

Wu said that the preservation of minority cultures can ensure cultural consistency and a healthy social order. For individuals, minority culture can answer the questions: “Who am I? Where do I come from? Where do I go?” For society, minority cultures answer the question “Why and how does social order function?”

Zhang said the preservation of minority cultures is essentially the protection of Chinese cultural diversity. It is not only determined by the cultural awareness and identity of a people, but also dependent on national and social power. In other words, the preservation and research of minority cultures must be a shared work of the whole community.

At present, new approaches are required for preservation and research. It is not a simple question of “development in preservation and preservation in development.” Instead, it relates to the establishment of a theoretical system of cultural practices centered on minority culture, which should be based on ethics and regulations for minorities.

Ji said in order to promote the sustainable development of the local natural, social and cultural resources, various schools organized a design and social innovation project titled “New Channel.” The project aims to carry out in-depth research on the traditional handicraft culture of the Dong and the Yao ethnic minorities in the Hunan area (These handicrafts include Dong brocade, bamboo weaving skills, to name a few) and design innovative products that cater to the demands and aesthetic needs of modern people.