Review of the Academic Studies on the Inheritance and Preservation

Zhao Xinxian

Abstract：

The Xiushan Lantern is popular in Xiushan Tujia Autonomous County of Chongqing. It originated in the Tang and Song Dynasties， continued into the Yuan and Ming Dynasties， flourished during the Qing Dynasty， further developed in the Republic of China， and shone brilliantly after the founding of the Peoples Republic of China. It is a holistic performance art which combines song， dance， and drama， as well as the sounds of wind and percussion instruments. The song and dance performance constitutes its main part. The Xiushan lantern was included in the first group of intangible cultural heritage listings on the national level in June 2006.

This article aims to review and analyze the academic problems of the research results concerning the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern during the past ten years from the “small angle” of academics. With this effort， it might inspire us to reflect on current problems concerning the protection and use of cultural resources in the Wuling ethnic area， and effectively promote the theoretical practice of constructing a pilot site for the protection of the cultural ecology in Southeast Chongqing.

I. A Review of the Main Academic Research Results on the Inheritance and Protection of the Xiushan Lantern of Chongqing

1.A Selection of Papers on the Lanterns of China

An international academic seminar titled “Lantern of China—the Xiushan Forum” was successfully held in Xiushan county in 2005. A framework in which “Government sets a theme； local literary federations handle the affair， and the national literary federation provides the support” was set up so as to manage the problem of the inheritance and protection of traditional culture in the ethnic areas. This framework became the “benchmark” for theoretical discussion in the forum， and a highlight of the academic review during 2005-2008.

A Selection of Thesis on the lantern of China compiled and published by “Chinas Lantern·Xiushan Forum ” includes a total of 62 articles， including 10 articles of “basic research” on the lantern in China， 18 articles on “research on schools ”， 19 articles of special studies on the Xiushan lantern， 9 “abstracts and contents”， 3 “appendixes （speeches in the meeting）”， 1 preface， and 1 postscript.

Xu Bolin， the chairman of the forum， and the director of the Theoretical Research Office of the National Literary Federation， gave summary remarks in the closing ceremony and gave the appraisal that the “collision” of ideas in the forum “has a meaning of artistic ontology and academic meaning”. Hence， it exceeded the influence of other activities held by the local literary federation.

2.An Investigation and Thoughts on the Cultural Ecology of the Xiushan Lantern

The second content which is worthy of in-depth academic reflection on the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern in Chongqing from 2005 to 2008 is the compilation process of the monograph entitled xiushan huandeng wenhua shengtai de kaocha yu sikao（An Investigation and Thoughts on the Cultural Ecology of the Xiushan Lantern ）— This is a research result of a key project of the Chongqing Social Science Plan （Approval No. 2005-YW06）. It was approved in 2005， but actually had started a year earlier， in 2004. The reason why we need to do “in-depth academic reflection” is because this monograph has had different impacts on follow-up stage （2009-2014） of the academic research on the ten years inheritance and protection of Xiushan lantern， lantern research conducted by the domestic college and universities， as well as on the practical activities in the county. The content of this monograph is divided into three chapters. The first chapter includes four fieldwork reports； the second chapter includes five investigation reports on special topics； and the third chapter includes six research treatises.

II. An academic review of the main research results on the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern of Chongqing from 2009-2014

1.From Cultural Characteristics to Economic Characteristics—Development and Investigation on Branding the Ethnic Minority Cultural Industry in Southeast Chongqing

The main academic applied result of the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern during the course of 2009-2014 is probably the 2007 Chongqing Social Sciences planned project titled “The Development and Investigation of the Branding of the Ethnic Minority Cultural Industry Southeast Chongqing”. In 2009， a monograph， one result of this project， was completed： cong wenhua tese dao jingji tese—yu dongnan shaoshu minzu wenhua changye pinpai kaifa diaocha （From Cultural Characteristics to Economic Characteristics—Development and Investigation of the Branding of the Ethnic Minority Cultural Industry in Southeast Chongqing.

The content of this book is constructed based on the idea of this project， and it logically connects the following three parts：（i） A general report of this project； （ii） Three applied theoretical research reports； （iii） Six fieldwork reports. What we especially need to explain here is that the appendix of this book is “A Selected Text of Five Kinds of Plans Made by the Ethnic Minority County Tourism Bureau of Southeast Chongqing”. The appendix becomes an important reference for the content of this book mentioned above. The books main value is that it compares the actual difference between branding the development of the ethnic cultural resource and branding its development as a tourism resource. The latter belongs to the scope of tourism economic plans， and can be regarded as a “pure” economic activity； the former is a sustainable approach which should be noted in the inheritance and protection of the ethnic cultural resource， that is， it is an innovative cultural industry practice that， with the guidance of the concept of branding the development of the ethnic cultural resource， is a significant measure for the protection of ethnic cultural resources and the inheritance of ethnic culture. It is a proper way to promote a healthy development of “cultural economies” in ethnic areas during the 21st century.

2.Music and Dance of the God Lantern —An Anthropological Study of the Xiushan Lantern

Cui Hongfeis doctoral dissertation is title cong minjie yishu dao wenhua yichan—xiushan huadeng de renleirxue kaocha （From Folk Art to Cultural Heritage—An Anthropological Investigation of the Xiushan Lantern ）. Cui passed her doctoral dissertation defense in 2011， and the dissertation was published in 2012 with the title of dengshen yuewu—xiushan huadeng renleixue yanjiu（Music and Dance of the Lantern God—An Anthropological Study on the Xiushan Lantern） by zhongyang minzu daxue chubanshe. This is an important academic achievement on the research on the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern. Her dissertation gives an in-depth discussion on the following questions and issues：

Folk art is an important part of folk culture， and it is a representation of the emotion and spirit of human beings. As a representative piece of folk art， what kind of emotions do the Xiushan Lanterns express？ After the Xiushan lantern was included in the first group of national intangible cultural heritage listings， it became the representative of advanced culture， and is regarded to have an outstanding value. The study on Xiushan lanterns should be done from an anthropological perspective， including a diachronic and synchronic investigation， i.e. we should investigate Xiushan lantern by putting it within the process itself， in ritual， in “artistic ontology”， in “social life”， and in “social fact”， as well as in “social memory”. Following the Xiushan lanterns being inscribed in the first group of national intangible cultural heritage listings， how can we explain the changes experienced by the Xiushan Lantern？ How can we understand the connection between the historical process and current “practice”？ After the “historical restoration” of music， dance， and ritual， how can problems or confusion be handled？

In summary， this article selected a “small angle” of academics to review and analyze the internal academic problems of the research results concerning the inheritance and protection of Xiushan lantern of Chongqing during the past ten years （2005-2014）. It specially focuses on a review of the academic ideas， theoretical bases， and concepts of logic of four academic monographs， including A Selection of Treatises on the Lantern in China （Jan.2006）， Investigation and Thought on the Cultural Ecology of the Xiushan Lantern （Dec.2006）， From Cultural Characteristics to Economic Characteristics—Development and Investigation on Branding the Ethnic Minority Cultural Industry in Southeast Chongqing （April，2012）， Music and Dance of the Lantern Gods—An Anthropological Study of the Xiushan Lantern （Dec.2012）.

Through ten years of academic exploration， the current conclusion is： the core academic issue regarding the inheritance and protection of the Xiushan lantern， a national intangible cultural heritage， is to give an academic explanation with regard to integrating two opposing concepts， including “dengti yiyong”（using the lantern as a performing art） and “yiti dengyong”（using the performing art as the [inheritance and protection of] lantern）， and a discussion on the living inheritance of the Xiushan lantern culture and its specific use in the cultural market from the perspective of cultural economics. One should pay high attention to the important academic value of the Xiushan lantern in the study of Chinas lantern ontology， as well as its value in conducting fieldwork for its position of being a “pilot site of the cultural ecology protection in Southeast Chongqing”.

Key Words：Xiushan lantern of Chongqing； inheritance and protection， academic research； ten years； review

References：

Cui Hongfei.dengshen yuewu—xiushan huadeng renleixue yanjiu（Music and Dance of the Gos Lantern — An Anthropological Study on Xiushan Lantern）.Beijing：zhongyang minzu daxue chubanshe，2012.

Cui Hongfei.chongqing xiushan huadeng yishi yishu yanjiu（Artistic Study on Xiushan Lantern Rituals of Chongqing）， In Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities，2013（1）.

Cui Hongfei. lun minjie yishu de wanzhengxing—yi wilingshan diqu xiushan huadeng weili（On the Completeness of the Folk Art—Taking Xiushan Lantern in Wulinshan Area as a Case Study），In Journal of Jishou University，2013（2）.

Peng Furong. chongqing xiushan huadeng de lishi qiquan，yishu neihan ji wenhua jiazhi（Historical Origin， Artistic Connotation and Cultural Value of Xiushan Lantern of Chongqing ）， In Journal of Chongqing University of Post and Telecommunications， 2012（2）.

Wang Dingtian. zhongguo huadeng lunwenxuan（A Selection of Thesis on the Lantern in China），Changchun：jiling wenshi chubanshe， jiling yingxiang chubanshe，2006.

Wang Wenzhang.feiwuzhi wenhua yichan gailun（General Introduction to Intangible Cultural Heritage），Beijing：wenhua yishu chubanshe，2006.

Wang Wenzhang.feiwuzhi wenhua yichan gailun（General Introduction to Intangible Cultural Heritage[revision edition]），Beijing：jiaoyu kexue chubanshe，2013.

Zhao Xinxian.minge de minsu yinyue neihan yu huadeng de shaoshu minzuhua—quyu huadeng fasheng qi minsu yinyue “gediao”xingtai de fangsi（Folk Music Connotation of the Folk Song and Lanterns Being Nationalized —A Reflection on the Form of the “Melody” of Folk Music） ，In Ethnic Literary Study，2008（4）.

Zhao Xinxian. xushan huadeng wenhua xingtai de dingwei wenti（Positioning of Xiushan Lanterns Cultural Form）， In Journal of Southwest University for Nationalities，2006（2）.

Zhao Xinxian.xiusha huadeng wenhua shengtai de kaocha yu sikao（Investigation and Thought on the Cultural Ecology of Xiushan Lantern），Beijing：zhongyang wenxian chubanshe，2006.

Zhao Xinxian. quyu huadeng chuancheng fazhan de minzu minjie wenti—shilun dushan huadeng de wenhua shengtai yanjiu（Ethnic and Folk Issue of the Inheritance and Development of Regional Lantern—A Discussion on the Cultural Ecology of Dushan Lantern），In Journal of Central South University for Nationalities，2007.

Zhao Xinxian. guanyu minsulei guojiaji “feiyi”zai fenlei biyaoxing de sikao—yi xiushan huideng weili（A Thought on the Necessity of Re-classification of “Intangible Cultural Heritage on the National level” Related to Folk Catalog—Taking Xiushan Lantern as a Case Study）， In Journal of Central South University for Nationalities，2012.

Zhao Xinxian.cong wenhua tese dao jingji tese—yu dongnan shaoshu minzu wenhua chanye pingpai kaifa diaocha （From Cultural Characteristics to Economic Characteristics—Development and Investigation on the Ethnic Minority Cultural Industry Brand in Southeast Chongqing）， Beijing： zhongguo jingji chubanshe，2012.

The Spirit of Contract： The Study of Takeuchis

Old Tibetan Contracts from Central Asia

Yang Gongwei（Nyimatashi）

（Nationalities Research Academy，Tibet University for Nationalities， Xianyang， 712082， Shanxi，China）

JOURNAL OF ETHNOLOGY， VOL. 7， NO.2， 85-87， 2016 （CN51-1731/C， in Chinese）

DOI：10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2016.02.11

Abstract：

The publishing of Tsuguhito Takeuchis book Old Tibetan Contracts from Central Asia greatly influenced the field of Dunhuang and Central Asian studies. The book collected most of the old Tibetan contracts， and provided an analysis. In addition， the author also put the Tibetan contracts within their traditional cultural-historical context. It inspired Dunhuang and Central Asian studies in China. Moreover， the spirit in the old Tibetan contracts in Central Asia also contributed to the creation of a system of credibility and harmonious relationships in modern China.

In the 20th century， Japanese scholars realized the importance of multi-linguistic study in the Central Asia and Dunhuang area. Some Japanese scholars went to study different Central Asian languages in Europe and the US Tshuguhito Takeuchi went to Indiana University to study old Tibetan. Other Japanese scholars went to study Sogdian， Khotanese， Turkish and ancient Chinese. After these scholars returned to Japan， they developed Central Asian and Dunhuang studies in Japan. In Japan， among academics， they were called the Young-Ton group.

While studying at Indiana University， Tsuguhito Takeuchi learned about Central Asia and the history of the Tubo empire under the guidance of Christopher Beckwith. He studied the old Tibetan contracts collected by the British and the French.In 1995， He finished his Ph.D. dissertation titled Old Tibetan Contracts from Central Asia. This work inspired great interest in the academic field of Dunhuang and Central Asia.

I. Takeuchi and Old Tibetan Contracts

In Takeuchis various works， he collected about fifty-eight old Tibetan contracts， and two Chinese contracts. These contracts were written during the first half of the 9th century. In 1906， Stein and Pelliot organized a research trip to Central Asia and collected a large number of historical and cultural objects， and written documents. In their collections， the old Tibetan contracts come from Milan， Mazartagh， old Dama valley， Kadalik， Dunhuang and the Turfan basin. The historical sites relating to human activity along the Silk Road indicate that they have been a cultural crossroads for Islam， Greek traditions and Buddhism. Many trading routes belong to the meeting point between East and West， especially those located at the intersection between Khotan-Sabah and the Lhasa-Turfan route. All the Western trading groups had to prepare food and water before they entered the Taklamakan desert. Stein discovered many important historical objects and materials， such as the Tibetan documents written on the boughs of willows， and many small objects. With these objects， we can imagine the ordinary life of the Tubo border troops. Takeuchi classified the old Tibetan contracts into sales， loan and hiring contracts， and translated them.

II.Takeuchis Research Methods and Purpose

Steins material established the international study of Dunhuang and Central Asia. Many scholars have focused on these old Tibetan materials. And Takeuchi found out that the letters， legal documents and oracles were not yet studied. He carried out his unique way of studying about these old Tibetan contracts. He collected as many as of old Tibetan contracts as he could， classified them according to their idiomatic use， and made comparisons between single articles and the general document. He hoped that he would be able to study different materials ， focusing on their structure and expression.

III. The characteristics and social background of the old Tibetan contracts from Central Asia

The methodology used to study the old Tibetan contracts was decided by their linguistic and cultural background， and the character of the contract structure. Unlike Tibetan Buddhist documents and chronicles， old Tibetan contracts also included some idioms and standard usage. The structure of the old Tibetan contracts might also have taken reference from Chinese contracts. However， while the Chinese contracts were based on the perspective of the sales person， the Tibetan contracts were written from the perspective of the third party. The Tibetan contracts， furthermore， had more official characteristics. Moreover， the use of seals in the contracts also indicated more of Tubo characteristics.

These Tibetan contracts reflected that the Tibetan language and culture were wide spread during the time of rule of the Tubo Empire， from the year 781 to 848. Many local people used Tibetan contracts， and signed them in old Tibetans. Old Tibetan contracts were developed together with interaction with Chinese contracts. In the 9th century， the Tibetan contracts were popular and widespread in Dunhuang and Central Asia. In sum， it was the product of the multi ethniccultural interaction along the Silk Road of the Dunhuang and Central Asian area.

Key Words：Takeuchi； Old Tibetan Contracts； Central Asia

References：

Aurel Stein.xiyu kaogu tuji（Detailed Report of Exploration in Westernmost China）.Institufe of Archaeology，Chinese Academy of social sciences，trans.Guilin：guangxi shifan daxue chubanshe，1998.

Guo Lubo. xiyu kaoguji juyao（The Archaeological Study in the Western Region）， Feng Chengjun，trans. Shanghai： shanghai guji chubanshe. 2014.

Tohti Muzart. zhongshiji weiwuer shehui（Urghurs Middle age），Beijing： renmin chubanshe，.2013.

Wang Yao，Chen Jian.dunhuangben tubo lishi wenshu（Tubo Historical File in Dunhung Documents），Beijing：minzhu chubanshe，1992.

Yang Ming.tubo tongzhi dunhuang xiyu yanjiu（A Study on Tubos Ruling of Dunhuang） Beijing：shangwu Chubanshe，2014.