| The Jiangnan region in China is the famous rice production since the ancient times, and the rice farmers there also create a lot of appropriate local rice production implements. The development and progress of the rice farm implements in Jiangnan region have greatly improved the working efficiency, and directly promoted the development of agriculture of rice in the Jiangnan region. The development of the rice farm implements in Jiangnan region have been continuously improved:initially from the wood stone to bronze, and finally to iron in materials; from the most primitive mining to the formation of many kinds of tool system including cultivating, sowing, row, irrigation, harvest, fertilization, processing and so on in operating function. In the dynamic, there are not only the use of human and animal, but also borrow wind and hydraulic etc natural force, and it is really the laboring people’s creation. Practicality is the first purpose of the manufacture of the rice farm implements in Jiangnan region, and the implements just use the local materials, with qualities of portable dexterity, strong practicality, wide applicability, etc.The rice farm implements in Jiangnan region are important implements in people’s production and life. They have been widely used, penetrating and influencing deeply into the society and all aspects of life, and have constituted a series of related folk culture. There has formed a certain custom in the every rice production process of the rice farm implements, hoping the Jiangnan people to have a rice harvest. All kinds of customs and taboos developed from the production and life related to the rice farm implements have revealed the influence of the rice farm implements on the people’s lives, beliefs and values in one thousand years, such as the custom of the inscription on rice farm implements, wishing a good harvest. The song, picking up the rice, and some festivals are all the custom developed from the process of implements’use, which incisively and vividly reflect the Jiangnan peasants’special production and living image. The relationship between rice farm implements and cultural is mutual. On the one hand, the rice farm implements have deeply influenced on the people’s production and life, and formed a unique Jiangnan rice farm implements folk culture; On the other hand, the rice farm implements folk culture reflects the life and value orientation of the people in Jiangnan traditional farming society.The rice farm implements in traditional society promoted the Jiangnan rice production, and improved the local people’s life. But in nowadays, when the course of urbanization is speeding up, the rural ecological environment where the agricultural culture survives, has been changing, and the traditional farming skills and farming culture gradually tend to disappear. The traditional implements can no longer play the role they has done. In nowadays, those ancient and backward agricultural implements, such as water wheel, flail and windmill, have been washed out gradually, leaving a few common implements, such as hoes and some lord implements, such as baskets, to be used. Now the study on the rice farm implements aimed at the enlightenment to the modern society given by the traditional cultural heritage. For example, after the rice farm implements’ traditional function disappears, they have been developed as a tourism landscape by people to develop, and they are regarded as the symbol of traditional agriculture are through the modern medium.The rice farm implements, important content of agricultural cultural heritage, are not only the testimony of historical development, but also a precious cultural resource, with an important value. It is necessary to afresh it to regain a new vitality, and so as to highlight its unique value. The protection practices of the rice farm implements cultural heritage in Jiangnan region have just started, and the local government and relevant departments have conducted a series of exploration and attempt, and have gotten some important achievements and experience, but there are still a lot needing to improve. At the same time, since the protection of cultural heritage of the rice farm implements not only protects itself, but also protects the relevant festival entertainment, etiquette, taboo, process, technology and so on. All of this increased the difficulty of the protection, leading directly to the slowness. However, we should know that the protection of cultural heritage of rice farm implements is a difficult work, but with a far-reaching significance, which means that making good use of cultural heritage of the rice farm implements benefits our future generations. It is significant to protect and make good use of cultural heritage of rice farm implements the history leaves to us, for carrying out the scientific development concept, and realizing the comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable development of both society and economy. |
