Economic Life Of Copper Craftsmen In Xiuyi Bai Village

Copper economy in Xiuyi Bai Village (hereafter XY) has a long history. Since1980s, many people in XY have taken up copper crafts as their main source of income, leaving agriculture as a side occupation. Due to the development of family copper economy, the economic pattern in XY has changed and become a rural economic structure with local characteristics. Focusing on copper craftsmen, I find out that households of coppers craftsmen in the village only take up7.6%. yet they have created a total value of20%, at the highest,40%of the total revenue of XY.During my anthropological fieldwork, I find out that family economy of copper craftsmen has a long history and has embedded in their livelihoods and survival strategies for several generations. Local population, availability of arable land and the experience of ’the tinker walking Yi Fang’ all have played a key role in its history. Copper craftsman families have an unique production and lifestyle, and they have formed own unique family and social organizations fully integrated with the production of copper crafts. Cooperation among copper craftsman families is closely related to production structure, organizations to ensure income. At the same time, when faced with challenges, copper craftsman families may fall back on traditional practices to improve of relations with each other and explore a more prosperous production.