The Industry Development Research Of Velvet Flower Since Ming And Qing Dynasty

Velvet flower is a kind of traditional handicraft made of natural silk.Since ancient times,velvet flower appeared in forms of head pin,corsage,cap flower and so on,applied to ceremonial matters,folklore events and daily life,which was a reflection of specific social phenomenon and relationship.From the time of Ming and Qing Dynasties,when there were exact historical records,velvet flower experienced a long process of development.Under the influence of social economy,culture and customs,the application scope,process modeling,industry scale,production and operation form and geographical distribution of velvet flower are different in each period.According to the characteristics of the times,the development process of velvet flower can be divided into three stages,which are Ming and Qing Dynasties,the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,and after the establishment of People’s Republic of China.The velvet flower originated from the tradition of hairpin in ancient China.When fresh flowers can not meet the needs of people hairpin all year round,a variety kinds of artificial flowers emerged,and velvet flowers was one of them.Ming and Qing Dynasties is the flourishing stage of velvet flower’s development.At this time there were many favorable factors that enhanced the development of velvet flower,such as social stability,economic development,prosperity of silk industry both in official and private,as well as the improvement of people’s aesthetic needs.Velvet flower was widely used in this period.For instance,in the court,it was used as auspicious decoration for a variety of ceremonial occasions,such as rewarding hero or champion in the imperial examinations;In the folk,velvet flower not only as a woman makeup ornament,but also a materialized symbol of folk customs and faith in occasion of marriage festivals,sacrificing God and so on.The area distribution has been formed since Ming Dynasty and Beijing/Tianjin area,Southeast area and Fujian area become the main origins of velvet flower.As for artistic characteristics in this period,velvet flower mainly appeared in the form of hair ornaments,with exorcise evil spirits,colorful,luxurious and complicated features.From the end of the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China,the development path of velvet flower was popularization at first and then downwards.With the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the development of modern industry and commerce,velvet flowerindustry has been impacted but also germinated new characteristic.At present,the production and operation mode has changed greatly compared with that of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.In addition to the family handicraft industry as a sideline,the handicraftsman monopoly gathered velvet flower production and marketing in the city and then formed specialized firms and market forms,during which the temple fair is a representative one.With the deepening of the industry,guilds with regulatory function grew up and played a positive role in ordering development of the industry.In this period,the distribution of velvet flower industry inherited the features of Ming and Qing Dynasties.Besides,Wuhan and Qufu also witnessed the flourishing of velvet flowers.As for usable range,velvet flowers went from the court to folk,and break through the limitations of jewelry flowers,derived some more practical forms like drama flowers,cap flowers,dress flowers.However,with the beginning of the Japanese war of aggression against China,velvet flower with all kinds of traditional handicrafts gradually withered.Since the foundation of the state,velvet flower industry experienced a resumption of production,export sales to the gradual demise,and then Nirvana rebirth in 21st century.The development of this was affected by national policy to a large extent.With the establishment of the new China,the socialist transformation of the velvet flower production cooperatives emerged and then became flower factories everywhere.Art and craft industry has made great contributions for the recovery of national economic.After the depression in the Cultural Revolution era,art and craft industry peaked in the 80’s under the support of policy,technology also has a great innovation since then.After the reform and opening up,socio-economic and cultural experience transformation,the traditional velvet flower industry is declining,once disappeared in people’s lives.After the rise of protection program of intangible cultural heritage in 21st century,the value of velvet flowers was re-recognized by the people.In the ten years after the velvet flower was rated as the intangible cultural heritage,the protection of velvet flower has made a great progress,but also faced with many problems.For example,the fault of inheritance,the marketing position problem and the fuzzy rights and interests from different stakeholders.In the face of these problems,it is of great significance in the present situation to improve the relevant laws and regulations and to carry out the productivity protection process.