RESEARCH ON THE SUSTAINABILITY OF WUDING YI COSTUME CULTURE THROUGH PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

Abstract

The Yi people of Chuxiong have a history spanning thousands of years and a rich cultural heritage, with Yi costume culture being particularly prominent. Yi costume integrates both tangible and intangible cultural elements, serving as a symbol and reflection of traditional Yi culture. Although Chuxiong has made some progress in the protection of Yi clothing culture over the past decade, the excessive focus on economic output has led to profits mainly benefiting investors while neglecting the transmission of cultural wisdom. This has failed to meet the cultural needs of the community, resulting in a crisis of cultural identity and weakened sustainability of Yi culture.

The objectives of this research include: 1) To study the tangible wisdom of traditional Yi clothing in Wuding County, such as its forms and craftsmanship, as well as the intangible wisdom, including its history, customs, beliefs, and values. 2) To analyze the cultural value and the current state of inheritance of Wuding Yi costume culture, and the role of community and social participation in cultural sustainability.3) To design participatory design prototypes, including two-way education programs and educational materials, to propose alternative solutions for fostering the inheritance of Yi costume cultural wisdom.

The research integrates ethnology, semiotics, participatory design theory, and cultural sustainability theory, employing a mixed research method that combines qualitative and quantitative data to derive findings. Stakeholders involved in the study include local Yi community members, clothing culture inheritors, government officials, experts, students, clothing artisans, cultural product development companies, the local Yi embroidery association, and visitors.

Ultimately, this study uses participatory action research and participatory design methods to develop two-way education programs, and educational materials, contributing to the innovative inheritance of Yi costume culture and the sustainability of community culture.

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