Inheritance and Innovative Application of Chinese Hmong Huifu Niaozhang Dress Art

Abstract

The Hmong nationality has its unique clothing art, and is an intangible cultural heritage of China. The Huifu Niaozhang dress is one of the most representative costumes of the Hmong people in Guizhou, which belongs to the traditional costumes of the Ga Nao branch. Due to the rapid development of China's economy and the increasing urbanization rate, also the difficulty of costume production techniques, the Huifu Niaozhang dress art is facing a state of decline and extinction.

The objectives of research are 1) To study the traditional production techniques of the Huifu Niaozhang costumes and its embroidery. It is to find data that appropriated to use through technology methods for preserving culture and could be transmit into new design clothing style. 2) To analysis the artistic DNA of the Ga Nao Hmong costume and to structure the digitally restoration of its unique artistic patterns and costume styles. This is to advocate a sample of computer-aided design process. 3) To create set of costume that can represent the traditional elements and characteristics of Huifu Niaozhang clothing along with the Chinese mainstream fashion styles.

This study combined qualitative and quantitative methods to carry out the research. The data had collected by the field survey method, case study analysis, statistical analysis method, and comprehensive experimental method. A field survey was conducted in the Hmong region of Guizhou, China, to analyze the cultural relationship between the distribution of the Hmong people, living environment, and their clothing. Also, this was to quantitative analysis about the data traditional decorative patterns and styles.

The research results showed by the most famous bird-shaped decorative patterns. There are 4 themes, total in 16 clothes. The bird-shaped were extracted by the computer design technology, adapting methods of symmetry and realistically. These were to express a minimal of bird decorative pattern but can be recognized natural bird alike. The new design had been processed by vectorized redrawing, attached with the innovative of clothing pattern. Interviews, consultations, and evaluation feedback were given to 215 people, including inheritors, producers, ordinary people, experts, professors, and designers, to analyze the value and significance following the objectives of research and the feasibility of their marketing.

The research of this project can enhance the artistic value of Hmong clothing. It creates a new design method for clothing products and enriches the product categories of Chinese ethnic-style. It further promotes the social and economic value of the inheritance of the Hmong intangible cultural heritage increasing its recognition globally.

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