A Study On The Protection Of The Dai's "Long Forest" Agri Cultural Heritage In Xishuangbanna

The Dai's 'Long Forest'(DLF) is a local language of 'long she meng' or/and 'long she man' in the society of Dai people, Yunnan, China. DLF includes sainted mountains and forests. It is a complex carrier bearing multiple religions and cultures, such as worshiping nature, forests, crops, gods, and ancestors. It actually is a sainted place combined regional religion with agricultural tradition since that 1), DLF provides water for agriculture, and 2),it is the residence for gods and ancestors. Additionally, ceremonies,institutions, and systems related with DLF compose DLF culture. DLP culture is a kind of Agri-cultural heritage containing characteristics of both tangible and intangible cultural heritages.Considering that the origin of the history of Dai people in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan,China, DLF ecological and geologic evidences, myths and legends, DLF culture may last several thousand years and be originated at the starting stage of Dai primitive agrarian society although it is unknown what the actual starting time is. Rice crops are the most important main agriculture in Dai people of Xishuangbanna since special climate,ecological, and geologic conditions. Dai people depend on rice for their surviving. The origin of DLF culture might be related with Rice crops. In addition, DLF culture can aggregate agrarian society. DLF culture is also a tool to protect forests and water, and to construct agrarian productive regulations by the name of gods and ancestors. The culture is resulted from long agrarian production and life, and worship of gods and ancestors, and to adapt to special tropical and forestry environment in Xishuangbanna. In a brief, forests are the base of the culture; worship of gods and ancestors is its expression; agrarian protection is its aim. This culture also has function to make Dai people a union and united Dai people lastingly inherit the culture. Especially, the culture plays an important role for prosperous economics and stabile politics in the period of Zhaopianling and all of Zhaopianling governments paid much attention on this culture. In the time of Zhaopianling governments, the population and tripe of Dai people and DLF number are lastingly increased. The distribution, effect, and importance of DLF are also lastingly increased.The function of DLF is evolved from original worshiping gods and ancestors to serving for governments. During this stage, not only current government officers must attend DLF ceremonies but also activities should be performed to worship Buddhist bodhisattva and dead government officers. There are special government department to manage DLF,which facilitates to expand DLF's inner and outer functions, embodies opinions of governors on DLF, and reflects status of society, politics,economics,and culture in all history stages. In addition, DLF culture plays a pivotal role for ecological protection.As an Agri-cultural heritage, DLF includes agricultural,ecological, social,and cultural significances, which may provide some clues for current social and economic development and ecological protection. Undoubtedly, DLF culture in Xishuangbanna is a precious Agri-cultural heritage. In order to get inspiration from DLF culture, it is necessary to make people know and pay their attention on this culture. But the status of current DLF culture heritage in Xishuangbanna is not good. In order to remind people to pay much attention on DLF, this paper 'A study on protection of DLF agri-cultural heritage in Xishuangbanna', tries to focus on three points: 1), investigating functions of DLF in traditional Dai culture, whose core is rice corps;2), prospecting the possible culture heritage values of DLF, carding value system of DLF, finding DLF's binding sites with current society, which embodies practical significance of DLF agri-cultural heritage in current society; 3) comparing previous and current status of DLF culture to find the reason for DLF culture prosperousness and depression and to give suggestions for human development by referencing DLF culture heritage.There are three parts in this paper including preface, main text and conclusion. In the part of preface, questions on DLF culture are put. In this part, the reason to focus the topic is addressed and academic history on DLF culture study is summarized. Study theories,methods,references,structures, key and innovative points, further possible questions and works are also mentioned in this part. There are seven chapters in the part of main texts. Chapter 1 introduces the reason for DLF to become the Agri-cultural Heritage and cultural backgrounds of DLF culture, which provides basic documents for next parts of this paper. In Chapter 2, DLF culture system includes water, agriculture,biodiversity, ecology and environment, village and tribe, and religion. In the Chapter 3, the possible origin of DLF culture, its relationship with agrarian society and Dai people, and its history. Chapter 4 focuses on investigating the current status of DLF culture in Moxie Village, Xishuangbanna, to reveal characteristics of DLF culture, to find questions for DLF protection, and to conclude that it is necessary to find effective protective strategies for DLF. In Chapter 5, ecological, scientific, historical, social,cultural and economic significances of DLF culture, and its important effects on ecology protection, agrarian production, and social culture are discussed. In Chapter 6, the problems on DLF culture heritages protection are investigated. In Chapter 7, some protective strategies on DLF culture are suggested. Some effective methods for current DLF culture protection are mentioned.The last chapter is the conclusion.