Technology Threat to Miao Embroidery Techniques and Heritage
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Miao Embroidery as Intangible Cultural Heritage
Technology improvements pose a threat to the survival of the Miao embroidery techniques and heritage. The Miao are a minority group noted for its rich culture, which is shown in their decorations and costumes, which have been worn for more than 5000 years. Young girls learn the tradition at the age of four through instructions from their mother or grandmother, which ensures its continuity. To maintain the art and safeguard the identity of the Miao society, however, the majority of the community's embroiderers now are old. Due to the significance of the tradition, the Chines government has included the Miao embroidery as one of the intangible cultural heritage because the handcraft is rare, has a cultural value in addition to its beauty, and cannot be imitated by machines to promote its continuity. In this regard, the paper involves a narrative approach of ethnographic research and analysis of secondary sources to determine the level of difficulty in learning the skills, and the need to protect the Miao embroidery as a non-material cultural heritage.
Miao Embroidery Practices and Cultural Significance
The literature review, which is also the secondary research approach, includes a discussion of the practices of the Miao embroidery, different skills that have been researched, as well as the solutions to revive the art by the Chinese and UK governments. In particular, the community has no written language hence most of its history and view of the world are embroidered in different fabrics and clothing. The costume has specific purposes such as religious, wedding, or funeral occasions. During embroidery, the Miao people believe that they are guided by their ancestors thus when wearing a costume in the family, it signifies protection and prosperity. Some of the efforts by the Chinese government include exhibitions of the art in the Guizhou Province Nationality Museum, TV shows such as dad where are we going, listing of Miao embroidery as an intangible cultural heritage of China and traditional festivals. The UK promotes the art through teaching the practical schools at the institution of Prince School of Traditional Arts, publishing books on the Miao embroidery collections, and displays in museums. Other individuals such as Zeng Xianyang and the daughter Zeng Li have also contributed to the protection of the Miao embroidery through collections, funding building a museum to showcase the art, and financing the publishing of books on Mia embroidery.
Ethnographic Research on Miao Embroidery
On the other hand, the ethnography approach involves the participation of the observer in two classes of embroidery where different styles such as cutwork, stitching, padding, and pearl purl were learned. The section compliments the earlier secondary research which prepares the observer for the fieldwork of the two lessons by Juliet and Renee regarding the Miao practices. The findings reveal that the art has more cultural value than its beautiful look because of the cultural identity of the community. Also, the collector's value enhances marketing and acceptance of the embroidery techniques and costumes through their businesses. Further, the Chinese government needs to borrow from the Prince School of Traditional Arts by creating an institution that teaches the traditional practical skills of the Miao embroidery. Finally, the media should also contribute to creating awareness of the value of Miao embroidery and the costumes by outreach programs to their audience.
