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Journal of Education and Educational Research
ISSN: 2957-9465 | Vol. 1, No. 1, 2022
54
Feasibility of Digital Economy Enabling Sustainable
Development of Yangzhou Lacquer Art
Haotian Zhang1, Chuanqi Gu1, Xiaohua Chen2, Anqi Cheng1, Chaolin Li1, *
1 School of Economics, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, Anhui, China
2 School of Accountancy, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu, Anhui, China
* Corresponding author: Chaolin Li (Email: 952587990@qq.com)
Abstract: In recent years, the integration of digital economy and traditional handicraft industry has enabled the inheritance
and innovation of traditional handicraft industry. This paper explores the sustainable development of Yangzhou lacquer art.
Combining the case of transformation and upgrading of intangible cultural heritage industry enabled by the digital economy, it
proposes a feasible plan for the sustainable development of Yangzhou lacquer art enabled by the digital economy, that is, to
update the inheritance mode, expand the market, update the theme, expand the influence, learn from foreign advanced experience,
and promote the development of lacquer art industry with the help of the digital economy.
Keywords: Yangzhou Lacquer Art; Intangible cultural heritage industry; Sustainable development; Digital economy.
1. Introduction
Yangzhou lacquer art is one of the four major lacquer arts
in China, with a very brilliant history. Due to various reasons,
the traditional lacquer art of contemporary China has not been
perfectly protected, inherited and updated, and the inheritance
of various techniques is also increasingly considered. This
research will focus on Yangzhou lacquer art, the
representative of China's lacquer art industry. On the basis of
investigating the survival status of traditional Yangzhou
lacquer art industry and the case of the integration and
development of digital economy and traditional handicraft
industry, it will deeply analyze how to use the digital economy
to enable the development of China's traditional lacquer art
industry, so that Yangzhou lacquer art can be inherited and
developed.
2. Overview of Yangzhou Lacquer Art
2.1. Brief introduction to the history of
Chinese lacquer art
If we use a symbolic traditional skill or utensil to describe
China, we all know that China is a country of ceramics and
silk. But few people know that China is also a country of
lacquer art. China is the birthplace of lacquer art. The Chinese
people first discovered and used big lacquer. In ancient
documents, "the flowing lacquer and ink on it, “Yu as a
sacrificial vessel, ink dyed the outside and Zhu painted the
inside."
2.2. Value of Chinese Lacquer Art
The lacquer on lacquerware is a kind of natural lacquer. Its
main colors are red and black. It is implicit, quiet, noble and
refined. It has the mysterious, solemn and noble beauty of
oriental culture. It is a cultural carrier and carries the unique
national culture and aesthetic concept of the Chinese nation.
The black of Chinese lacquer is not black, but bright in the
black. There are some very detailed changes in the black. It is
a kind of chaotic feeling of vitality. It is very dark, empty and
deep, which shows the Chinese people's cultural
understanding of honest character.
2.3. Introduction to Yangzhou Lacquer Art
Yangzhou lacquer art is one of the four major types of
lacquer art in China. It originated in the Warring States Period,
flourished in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and reached its peak
in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Yangzhou lacquer art is of
great artistic and historical value due to its various types and
exquisite skills. Yangzhou lacquer art is famous at home and
abroad for its techniques of flat grinding mother of pearl,
carving lacquer inlaying jade, and clicking snails. Yangzhou
lacquer art is elegant in shape, exquisite in workmanship, and
rich in color. Its creation is mostly based on literati paintings,
which has the characteristics of rich traditional Chinese
handicrafts.
2.4. Development of Modern Yangzhou
Lacquer Art
After the founding of the People's Republic of China,
Yangzhou lacquerware industry was operated under a public-
private partnership under the guidance of the national policy
of "protection, development and improvement". 8、 In the
1990s, handicraft exporting countries exchanged foreign
exchange for the country overseas, taking foreign trade export
as the main development direction. After the reform and
opening up in the 20th century, handicrafts and foreign trade
were decoupled, and the lacquerware industry ushered in a
huge change, from the original export to the domestic market.
The adjustment of the industrial structure changed the entire
industry, from large enterprises to small ones. The state-
owned enterprises were restructured and separated from many
private companies, but they were all traditional enterprise
ideas and business models. With the development of society,
various new forms of artistic expression also have an impact
on the survival of the lacquer industry. Like similar industries
in other traditional handicraft industries, the lacquer industry
faces the threat of loss.
2.5. Digital economy brings new opportunities
to traditional handicraft industry
In recent years, the integration of digital economy and
traditional handicraft industry has become an endless
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example of the inheritance and innovation of traditional
handicraft industry. We can't help thinking about whether it is
possible to save the declining lacquer art industry by not only
thinking about the original idea of realizing the inheritance of
lacquer art through lacquer art education, but also integrating
the digital economy with the traditional lacquer art industry,
so as to realize the inheritance of the entire lacquer art
industry rather than a single art, so that lacquer art can serve
the public life for a long time.
In addition, looking at the development history of lacquer
art from a global perspective, we can see that lacquer art
originated in China and has left a strong legacy in Chinese
history. However, since the Ming and Qing Dynasties, China's
leading position in the world of lacquer art has been replaced
by Japan. Japan's English "Japan" also has the idea of lacquer
ware. In addition, with the continuous decline of the modern
Chinese lacquer art industry, perhaps hundreds of years later,
the world and even our future generations have forgotten that
lacquer art originated in China, In China, it has developed and
expanded its history. Therefore, it is urgent to study the
sustainable development of China's lacquer art industry.
3. Problems in the Development of
Yangzhou Lacquer Art
(1) Lacquer art has strict requirements for the creative
environment. The application temperature of artistic paint
shall not be lower than 5℃, and the relative humidity shall be
greater than 85℃. The production cycle is long and the
process is complex, resulting in fewer and fewer people
making paint.
(2) The world leading position of Chinese lacquer art has
been replaced. Lacquer craft originally originated in China
has come from behind by Japan, so that Westerners have also
started oriental lacquer art. At present, few young people are
willing to learn this art under the pressure of life, which
hinders the inheritance of lacquer art.
(3) There are few employees. Around 2008, the country
began to re attach importance to traditional crafts, and opened
lacquerware majors in major art colleges and vocational
schools. Young people began to learn lacquerware and re
invest in the industry. However, the employees are far from
meeting the market demand. Fortunately, the charm and value
of lacquerware itself has made private studios bloom
everywhere, and the products have gradually returned to high-
end customized collections from daily necessities.
(4) The market coverage is small and the customer base is
small. The audience of Yangzhou Lacquer Art is mostly
customers in their 40s and 50s. The young people buy less
lacquer products, which makes the lacquer products cannot be
well publicized, and the young people have a low
understanding of lacquer craft and lacquer products.
(5) Lacquer products are sold in a single way, mainly in
offline stores. The strength of online marketing is still lacking,
which makes the publicity of lacquer products insufficient
and the profit is limited. The number of offline stores is small
and the coverage is limited.
(6) Lacquer art is not closely integrated with cultural and
creative products. The product form is single, which cannot
attract the interest and curiosity of young people and cannot
meet the requirements of profitability. There are still some
deficiencies in the innovation level.
4. Sustainable Development of
Yangzhou Lacquer Art
Lacquer art is one of the representatives of China's
excellent traditional culture, which has left a brilliant mark in
the long river of Chinese culture. With the change of history,
lacquer art gradually separated from people's life, and
gradually marginalized in the art field. However, although
time has stripped off its gorgeous coat, what remains is the
crystallization of the wisdom of the working people.
Yangzhou lacquerware has a complex manufacturing process.
The paint layer is numerous and exquisite, lasting for a long
time, and hard to damage. Yangzhou lacquer art is a national
intangible cultural heritage. The lacquering technology and
the peaceful grinding of mother of pearl in Yangzhou lacquer
art were included in the first national Yangzhou lacquer
protection list. At present, Yangzhou Lacquer Factory, the
main manufacturer of Yangzhou lacquerware, has been
awarded the first batch of "Chinese time-honored brands".
These advantages and honors fully illustrate the artistic and
historical value of Yangzhou lacquerware. Based on the data
collected in this social practice, our team came up with the
following plans to promote the sustainable development of
Yangzhou lacquer art.
4.1. Inheritance mode should inherit tradition
and bring forth new ones
According to the staff of the factory, Yangzhou lacquer art
inheritance is mainly divided into the traditional mode of
teacher leading apprentice and school education. There is a
big deviation between the undergraduate training direction
and the junior college training direction in the school
education inheritance mode. Undergraduate lacquer art
education cultivates talents of lacquer art and creators of
lacquer painting. Lacquer painting is the product of lacquer
art and has a very high aesthetic value. However, it has a high
degree of personalization, a small market and is difficult to
scale production. Lacquer art education in junior colleges
trains lacquerware making technicians, and the lacquerware
workers trained are skilled, but lack creativity. According to
the manufacturer, the lacquerware production environment is
poor and the work task is heavy. Most of the undergraduate
graduates are unwilling to choose to go to the lacquerware
factory for employment. Most of them set up personal
lacquerware studios. Moreover, the technical level of
undergraduate graduates is low, so they prefer to work with
college graduates. Although the inheritance mode of "teacher
leading apprentice" is no longer popular in most fields, the
lacquer industry attaches great importance to the
accumulation of experience and teaching by example. The
employees trained by the school are inexperienced, and they
must follow the skilled master to improve the level of lacquer
production.
At present, the national level masters of Yangzhou Lacquer
Art are basically concentrated in Yangzhou Lacquer Art
Factory, and most of them have accepted the training mode of
"master led apprentice". Based on the above analysis and the
actual situation, we believe that we should combine the
advantages of the three kinds of inheritance. First of all, we
must attach importance to the traditional model of "master
leading apprentice". Lacquer factories and schools should
strengthen cooperation and set up joint training classes for
masters; Students should go into the factory to learn more
about the production process of lacquerware and learn more
56
practical skills. Undergraduate lacquer art education needs to
give play to its artistic advantages, develop in the direction of
lacquer art design, and create more and more modern themes.
Lacquer art education in junior college needs to strengthen
students' skill training, encourage students to enter the factory
and adapt to the lacquerware production mode. At the same
time, it is necessary to strengthen the students' understanding
of the history of lacquer art and the cultivation of their ability
to create and appreciate lacquer art.
4.2. Expand the market and update the theme
Lacquer was an indispensable decoration in ancient times.
From huge screen plaques to women's hairpin jewelry boxes,
lacquerware was closely connected with people's daily life.
After field research, we found that the current mainstream
lacquerware theme is still flowers, birds, fish and insects,
which has deviated from the current aesthetic needs. And this
kind of lacquerware is mostly used for the decoration of
institutional hotels, with the price up to millions. This
production mode severely limits the lacquerware market and
is one of the main reasons for the gradual decline of
lacquerware. In recent years, with the improvement of living
standards, private customization consumption has developed
rapidly. With the help of the Internet economy, some personal
lacquer workshops have emerged. Most of these studios only
have one or two people. They use WeChat and other platforms
to receive orders. They mainly engage in small lacquer art
customization, including lacquer art pens, jewelry, expensive
watches, etc. However, this model has not received the
attention of mainstream lacquerware manufacturers, and the
market is difficult to expand due to the limitation of personal
level and production time. We suggest that the leaders of the
lacquer art industry call on the whole industry to attach
importance to the innovation of themes and develop themes
that meet the aesthetic needs. In addition, we should attach
importance to the development of the personalized market. In
addition to accepting the traditional large-scale lacquerware
production, we must also divide a part of the manpower to
make high-quality and inexpensive ordinary objects with
greater market demand.
4.3. Expand the influence of Yangzhou lacquer
art
Yangzhou lacquer art was selected into the first batch of
national intangible cultural heritage, which shows that the
state attaches great importance to Yangzhou lacquer art.
However, the society knows little about Yangzhou lacquer art.
At present, the whole society is experiencing a national
upsurge and a revival of cultural heritage. Compared with the
upsurge of intangible cultural heritage industries such as
porcelain and tea making, the national lacquer industry is still
unknown. This is an important reason to limit the
development of the lacquer art market and the lack of
successors in the lacquer production technology. Therefore,
we need to expand the social influence of Yangzhou lacquer
art. We believe that we can take measures such as setting up
a Chinese Lacquer Art Museum, holding a national tour
exhibition of lacquerware, and creating cultural and creative
products of lacquer art.
4.4. Learn from Japan's advanced experience
Just as "China" means porcelain, "Japan" means lacquer.
Lacquer art has gradually evolved into Japanese painting art
since it was introduced into Japan in the Tang Dynasty. Since
modern times, Japanese painting lacquer art has surpassed
Chinese painting art and become the world's best. Japanese
society has attached great importance to the inheritance of
painting skills since the Meiji period. Through the
establishment of the Tokyo University of Technology, the
organization of painting masters, the establishment of the
Guoguang Club and other measures, and the cooperation with
facilities and brands such as Bailikin and Montblanc, the
inheritance and development of painting skills have been
guaranteed, which is worth learning from in China.
4.5. Promoting inheritance and innovation of
lacquer industry with the help of digital
economy
We investigated the Taobao operation of Yangzhou
Lacquer Factory, a leading enterprise of Yangzhou
lacquerware. Limited by the traditional business market, the
manufacturer is not very interested in e-commerce channels,
and the Taobao store interface seems outdated. In recent years,
the rapid development of digital economy has constantly
stimulated the vitality of traditional cultural industries, such
as the famous cultural and creative brand of the Forbidden
City. At present, the platform economy, online celebrity
economy and e-commerce are developing vigorously and
have strong social influence. We suggest that we use VR and
other technologies to establish a digital museum of Yangzhou
lacquer art, so that people can easily understand the history
and value of Yangzhou lacquer art and appreciate outstanding
masterpieces. The popularity of live streaming media can also
become a breakthrough in promoting Yangzhou lacquer art.
At the same time, we should attach importance to the role of
e-commerce, innovate the marketing mode of lacquerware,
and adapt to the current e-commerce sales mode.
5. Conclusions
Chinese lacquer art has a history of nearly 10000 years, and
Yangzhou lacquer art is one of the most brilliant pearls on the
crown of Chinese lacquer art. Although the wave of
modernization has made Yangzhou lacquer art lose its former
glory, as an important part of the excellent traditional Chinese
culture, the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese
people, and the accumulation of five thousand years of
Chinese history, we cannot ignore the decline of Yangzhou
lacquer art and even the world's traditional art. It is our
unshakable responsibility to protect, inherit, and carry
forward the wealth left by our ancestors. For Yangzhou
lacquer art, the whole society should attach importance to its
future and strive to explore the sustainable development path
of Yangzhou lacquer art.
Acknowledgments
This work is supported by Anhui University of Finance and
Economics provincial undergraduate innovation and
entrepreneurship training program project, "Research on the
Development of China's Lacquer Art Industry Enabled by
Digital Economy" (S202110378343).
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