The Preservation And Exploitation Of Traditional Handcrafts In Kashgar

The UNESCO Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity released in 2001 encourages all nations,ethnic groups and individuals to promote their culture and to create based on their culture.As an important cultural carrier of a nation or an ethnic group,traditional handcraft occupies an essential position in spreading and expressing a national or an ethnic culture.With the modern industrial development,however,traditional handcrafts are being affected by globalization,mechanization and the development of a global economy.How to preserve and pass on traditional handicrafts is one of the pressing questions confronting students in folkloric studies.As an intangible cultural heritage of the Uyghurs,traditional felting is also facing the danger of being replaced by mechanization and the inability to increase its market share.The shirking number of successors of traditional craft of felting also forebodes its extinction.This thesis first introduces the raw materials,making process,types and uses of Kashgar felts,as well as the current market condition and the status quo of preserving felting crafts in Kashgar.Then it analyzes the economic and cultural values of Kashgar felts,and points out the current problems within the traditional felting industry in Kashgar.Lastly,this thesis offers measures to develop potential market for Kashgar felt in order to increase its economic values while preserving and inheriting this traditional craft.