Research on Sericulture Inheritance and Revitalization Strategy in Yunlong Village, Haining City, in the Era of Convergent Media ()
1. Introduction
Sericulture is an important part of rural culture and plays an important role in promoting rural rejuvenation. Nowadays, technology and emerging media are on the rise, the status and evolution of the sericulture industry are facing obstacles and challenges, so it is urgent to explore the combination of traditional sericulture and modern media technology and realize the simultaneous development of culture and economy. Therefore, the research group will take the sericulture of Yunlong Village, Haining City as an example to discuss a series of difficulties faced in the development of the sericulture industry, such as: 1) the aging of inheritors and the lack of fresh blood, 2) the decay of inheritance objects and the sharp decline in scale, and 3) the inheritance medium is too single, mostly relying on the inheritance of family skills, and exploring targeted solutions and methods. This research group attempts to carry out research and analysis on the current situation of sericulture industry in Yunlong Village under the impact of modern industry, how to combine traditional culture and integrated media to better develop the sericulture industry, and how to expand the influence of sericulture by economically feeding the sericulture of Yunlong Village, and empower the traditional sericulture through the use of social media platforms and digital technology, so as to provide a feasible plan for the inheritance and development of traditional culture, and also provide new ideas for rural revitalization. Based on the current situation of the sericulture industry in Yunlong Village under the impact of modern industry, this research group attempts to explore how to combine traditional culture with integrated media to better develop the sericulture industry and how to expand the influence of sericulture through economic feedback to the sericulture of Yunlong Village. This research group tries to use social media platforms and digital technology to empower traditional sericulture culture, provide feasible solutions for the inheritance and development of traditional culture, and provide new ideas for rural revitalization.
2. Analysis of the Current Situation of Sericulture in Yunlong Village, Haining City
2.1. The History and Tradition of Sericulture
Located on the banks of the Qiantang River, Yunlong Village in Haining City is suitable for growing mulberry, cotton and other dryland crops, and the sericulture is deeply rooted in the daily life of local residents. Yunlong Village was established in 1959 and was originally known as Yunlong Brigade. Since its establishment, Yunlong Village has actively developed sericulture agriculture and has achieved great results [1] . The sericulture production folk customs born in the local area reflect the wisdom and creativity of the working people, show the unique charm of excellent traditional culture, and are also one of the important symbols of Haining as the “hometown of mulberry and hemp”.
2.2. The Status and Role of Sericulture in Rural Revitalization
Industrial revitalization is not only the entry point of agricultural practical work, but also a new engine to promote the transformation of agriculture from production-oriented to quality-oriented [2] . The sericulture industry is one of the pillar industries of Yunlong Village, which is rich in ecological agriculture resources and has a mature development model of characteristic industries. On the contrary, through the construction of rural revitalization projects, it will help to consolidate the foundation of the sericulture industry and increase the income of the majority of silkworm farmers. In May 2017, the construction of the Silkworm Culture Park and the Silkworm Memory Museum in Yunlong Village was completed, and Yunlong Village has formed a tourism experience area integrating sericulture production demonstration, sericulture experience, sericulture display, and sericulture intangible heritage inheritance [3] . The advantages and potential of the sericulture industry in Yunlong Village have greatly helped it embark on the road of revitalization. Actively exploring the industrial revitalization model is conducive to realizing the high-quality development of the sericulture industry and promoting the development of the township agricultural economy.
2.3. The Current Situation and Problems of Sericulture in Yunlong Village
In order to clarify the sericulture in Yunlong Village, Haining City, the group carried out this field investigation. The questionnaire (See Appendix) was divided into four groups: young, young, middle-aged and elderly (See Figure 1), focusing on local residents, non-local residents and non-local non-resident residents in Haining, and the sericulture culture of Yunlong Village was investigated from different perspectives. A total of 415 questionnaires were distributed and 408 questionnaires were recovered, of which 404 were valid.
2.3.1. The Medium of Inheritance Is Single, Young People Lack the Willingness to Inherit, and There Is a Shortage of Labor
As a labor-intensive industry, the sericulture industry has high requirements for laborers, and it takes a lot of time to observe the temperature of the silkworm room and the freshness of mulberry leaves, and the inheritance of skills such as cocoon selection and cocoon baking mostly relies on the oral transmission of the family [4] , and the medium of inheritance is relatively simple.
With the rapid development of the modern industrial economy, the demand of the silk market has changed, and the market space of the sericulture industry has been squeezed, which has also indirectly affected the income of the industry, resulting in a shortage of labor resources. Silkworm farmers are aging, sericulture customs are no longer popular, and traditional skills are on the verge of being lost [3] . Most of the employees in the sericulture breeding base in Yunlong Village are older and lack the addition of fresh blood.
After the questionnaire survey, the group found that the willingness of the surveyed population to participate in sericulture activities was not high. The results showed that 46.53% of the population chose not to participate, most of them were young and middle-aged, and 27.72% chose to participate depending on the situation. It can be seen that sericulture is now unattractive to people, especially most young people.
2.3.2. The Scale of Sericulture Cultivation Has Decreased Sharply, the Lack of Diversified Funding Sources, and the Development of the Industry Has Been Limited
Since the implementation of the national “East Mulberry to West” project during the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, the scale of sericulture in the traditional main silk producing areas has shrunk year by year, and the industry has declined year by year, and the originally relatively complete sericulture and silk industry chain has begun to lack links, and the industrial added value is relatively sluggish [5] . At present, the cultivation of sericulture in Yunlong Village is mostly fragmented, the area of mulberry orchards has been greatly reduced, and the number of sericulture farmers is also decreasing year by year, reflecting the derailment between traditional farming and modern industrial development.
The Yunlong Sericulture Pastoral Complex Project is funded by the city, town, and village levels, and does not absorb social capital [5] . As shown in the data chart (Figure 2) formed by the survey results, 57.43% of the population believes that the lack of protection funds is the main reason for the loss of sericulture culture, followed by 50.5% of the population believes that the sericulture lacks effective protection measures, which shows that the financing channels required for the development of sericulture are limited, often relying on government subsidies and bank loans, and lack of diversified funding sources, which also reflects that the local social capital is not enough to help the sericulture be better protected.
2.3.3. Under the Impact of Modern Culture, Young People Have a Low Understanding of Sericulture and Mulberry Culture
In the questionnaire collected by this group, the survey on the level of understanding of Haining sericulture showed that 25.74% of the population believed that they had a general understanding of Haining sericulture culture, while 14.85% said they did not know much about it and 6.93% said they did not know it very well. Most of the people who chose these three groups were non-locals, non-residents, and most of them were young (See Figure 3).
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Figure 2. The reason why the sericulture is gradually being lost is believed to be in the public sense.
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Figure 3. Public understanding of sericulture culture in Haining.
It can be seen that outsiders and young people have a low level of understanding of the local sericulture in Haining, and the traditional culture not only belongs to the history, but also belongs to the present [6] . As an excellent traditional culture, sericulture needs to embrace young people with aesthetic taste and cultural warmth [7] , so as to increase their interest and attention to traditional culture.
2.3.4. The Public Is Not Satisfied with the Inheritance and Development of the Government’s Sericulture
According to the results of the questionnaire survey, among the people’s views on the government’s inheritance and development of Haining sericulture culture, 168 people chose average, 31 people chose poor and 27 people chose very poor, these three groups of people accounted for 55.94% of the total number, which shows that the people are dissatisfied with the work done by the government.
As a traditional agricultural industry, the government does not pay enough attention to the sericulture industry, and there is a lack of financial support, investment in scientific research, market control and popularization of education, which also indirectly leads to the low recognition of the government’s work.
2.3.5. Sericulture Lacks New Ways of Transmission and Fails to Adapt to the Development of the Times
Through our survey of the channels through which people understand the sericulture of Haining, it is found that 48.51% of the people learned about the sericulture of Haining through television media, 40.1% of them read through newspapers and periodicals, 33.71% read through books and periodicals, and 34.65% read through radio (See Figure 4). This shows that the early propaganda of sericulture in Haining is biased towards traditional media (most of the people who
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Figure 4. People in Haining sericulture understanding channel.
participated in this survey are young and middle-aged people, as shown in Figure 2), and also reflects that under the impact of informatization and digitalization, sericulture urgently needs new ways to spread to avoid the loss of culture. However, in the promotion of sericulture culture, network media has not been well utilized, which will also indirectly lead to the low level of understanding of sericulture among young people [8] .
Sericulture tourism is a comprehensive industry that combines agriculture, tourism, and cultural heritage, and plays an important role in the development of rural areas [9] . However, the data shows that only 23.76% of the population understands the local sericulture through tourism or on-the-spot, which also shows that the joint development of local sericulture and tourism has not been well realized.
2.3.6. The Public’s Awareness of the Protection of Sericulture Needs to Be Improved, and the Sense of Cultural Identity Declines
In the context of rural revitalization, the inheritance and protection of excellent traditional Chinese culture can play a positive role in cultural self-confidence and identity [10] . According to the survey results, 28.71% of the population think that the inheritance and revitalization of sericulture in Haining is generally important, 12.87% think it is not very important and 7.43% think it is very unimportant, which not only reflects that the people do not pay enough attention to the current sericulture work and the awareness of protection needs to be improved, but also reflects that people’s sense of identity with sericulture is gradually declining due to the impact of modern culture.
3. Inheritance and Development Strategy of Sericulture
Yunlong Village is the most complete preserved sericulture village in Haining, which can be called the living history of sericulture in Haining [11] . With the development of social economy and the progress of science and technology, sericulture, as a traditional culture, is facing impacts and challenges, and all subjects of society should actively participate in the protection of sericulture [12] .
3.1. Challenges and Opportunities of Traditional Cultural Inheritance in the Age of Integrating Media
3.1.1. How Does the Development of New Media Affect the Inheritance and Revitalization of Traditional Culture
Compared with traditional media, emerging media have faster transmission rate, high interactivity, and multiple modes of expression [13] , which have profoundly changed our society, including the inheritance and revitalization of traditional culture.
The emerging media provide a new platform for the dissemination of traditional culture. In the past, the spread of traditional culture was limited by region and time, but now the Internet allows people around the world to have unlimited access to traditional Chinese arts, such as Peking Opera, calligraphy, papermaking, and so on, promoting global cultural exchanges.
The development of new media also brings some challenges. How to protect and cherish the traditional culture in the era of information explosion, to prevent it from being submerged by the fast food consumption culture, is the problem we need to face. This requires us to strengthen the education and research of traditional culture while making use of new media, so that it can maintain vitality in the new media environment.
In general, the development of new media is both an opportunity and a challenge to the inheritance and revitalization of traditional culture. We should make use of the power of new media to let more people understand, love and participate in the inheritance of traditional culture, so that traditional culture in the modern society with new vitality. At the same time, we should also pay attention to protecting and excavating the deep value of traditional culture, so that it can continue to develop in innovation and persistence.
3.1.2. The Role of New Media in Promoting the Inheritance of Traditional Culture
First, digitization is key. Digital technology is the cornerstone of the development of digital cultural industry, and is an important way to realize the integration of culture and science and technology [14] . Traditional culture such as poetry, folk art and other contents are digitized and produced into short videos, pictures and other forms, so that they can adapt to the Internet environment and be more acceptable to young people. For example, the “Digital Palace” project of the Palace Museum brings traditional cultural relics to life by sharing rich collection information through Weibo, wechat and other platforms.
Second, interactive communication has a lot to offer. Social media is characterized by its sociability and interaction. We can make use of this to hold online cultural activities, such as Q & A, online exhibition, live explanation, etc., so that users can understand and love traditional culture during participation. For example, the “Ancient Poetry Competition” on Douyin has stimulated the public’s interest in poetry in an interesting way.
Finally, in the process of guidance, the media should imperceptibly influence, moisten things silently, and become a corrupted person [15] . Social media can be used as an educational tool to guide the public to correctly understand and appreciate traditional culture by setting up special courses and pushing cultural information. At the same time, users are encouraged to share their learning experiences and perceptions to form a good cultural communication atmosphere.
In general, the use of Internet social media to spread traditional culture requires not only innovative forms, but also the depth and breadth of content, so as to respect the tradition while giving it the flavor of The Times, thus enhancing its influence in modern society. This is not only a cultural inheritance, but also an art of living [16] .
3.2. Starting from the Integration of Media, the Development of Sericulture Should Be Diversified
In the information age, media integration has become a new trend of cultural communication. It breaks the boundaries of traditional media, seamlessly integrates text, pictures, audio, video and other forms, providing a new possibility for the inheritance and development of sericulture. How to use the power of financial media to realize the diversification of its development path is an important issue we are facing.
3.2.1. The Use of Financial Media Platform to Promote the Dissemination of Sericulture
Relevant documentaries and films are made on the theme of sericulture and silk culture. For example, the silk culture documentary Journey of Silk, shot by Kasiya, comprehensively and vividly records all aspects of the silk industry chain [17] . Using social media platforms, through short videos, live broadcasts and other forms, content such as sericulture stories and silk fashion wear can be presented in a more vivid and intuitive way to attract the attention of the younger generation. At the same time, using big data analysis, we can accurately push sericulture cultural information, making it more attractive and influential. This will not only allow more people to understand and understand sericulture, but also stimulate their interest in traditional culture, mobilize the enthusiasm of young people to participate in employment, and give the sericulture industry new vitality.
3.2.2. Through the Media Platform, Make Sericulture Close to Life
Sericulture cultural activities combining online and offline activities, such as sericulture textile skills competition, sericulture cultural knowledge competition, and silk cultural and creative works creativity competition, etc. are carried out to increase the public’s interest in and participation in sericulture [18] . Through the deep integration with e-commerce, tourism and other industries, sericulture products can reach consumers directly, achieve online and offline simultaneous sales, and promote the market expansion of silk products. Sericulture activities can also drive the development of rural tourism and other related industries, forming a virtuous cycle of the industrial chain. Sericulturists can also take advantage of the strong interaction of financial media to understand the latest market information, advanced production technology and management concepts, which promotes the transformation of sericulturists from traditional farmers to modern new professional farmers [19] .
4. Benefits Brought by the Combination of Media and Sericulture
Digging deep and inheriting the sericulture culture of Yunlong Village is helpful to realize the three-in-one of social benefit, economic benefit and ecological benefit. It is reflected in the following aspects:
4.1. The Benefits of Sericulture
4.1.1. Consolidate the Industrial Base and Promote Rural Revitalization
Rural revitalization is inseparable from the prosperity of industry and the strong support of sericulture industry. Sericulture has a profound historical background and unique production customs, fully tap the potential of sericulture industry, and become an important means to promote farmers’ income and speed up rural revitalization. Persisting in promoting the sustainable development of sericulture industry and transforming ecological advantages into economic advantages plays a vital role in finding the way out of rural revitalization.
4.1.2. Promote Cultural Construction and Enrich Spiritual Life
The ultimate goal of the development of sericulture is to meet the growing needs of the people for a better life. Cloud Dragon Village Sericulture reproduces the long history and rich cultural deposits, shows the real face of rural life in Jiangnan, breeds and develops excellent traditional culture, and is one of the spiritual wealth of human civilization. Combined with the requirements of the current era, according to local conditions, actively participate in cultural construction, help to carry forward the positive and enterprising spirit of forging a new journey, and create a strong cultural atmosphere.
4.2. The Benefits Brought by the Combination of Media and Sericulture
4.2.1. Enable Sericulture Industry to Upgrade and Help New Business Forms and Models
Modern media is a powerful engine that promotes the prosperity and development of traditional industries. Through media fusion, diversified positioning. By such means, sericulture industry can reconstruct the rural value system. Accelerate the combination of sericulture and tourism, focus on tapping people’s demand for traditional cultural tourism products, and realize the transformation from good ecological benefits of traditional industries to economic benefits. Through modern media technology to strengthen marketing and promotion, present sericulture characteristics, help the traditional industry to glow with new vitality and vitality, expand the popularity of rural culture.
4.2.2. Cultivate Interdisciplinary Talents, Promote Employment and Increase Income
In the final analysis, the development of cultural industry depends on talents [20] . Traditional culture should not only consolidate, but also increase its life. Force is inseparable from the contribution of compound talents. From the social level, the organic integration of new media technology and sericulture industry attracts more high-quality talents to invest in the development of traditional cultural industry, and produces material and spiritual wealth required by society. From the individual level, it will help more capable and outstanding young people to improve their happiness index while actively learning and carrying forward excellent traditional culture.
4.2.3. Take Advantage of the Media to Lead a New Cultural Leap
At present, new media technology has become an important way of cultural communication. Through new media technology combined with field shooting. The creation of new business forms and new situations helps break through the gap between time and space, and inherits and develops this culture. New media technology provides unique advantages for the expression and dissemination of traditional culture, showing the design and characteristics of local culture to the public, so that traditional culture can be effectively protected while being displayed and utilized.
5. The Shortcomings of This Study
This group has summarized the prominent problems and solutions for the heritage and revitalization of sericulture, combined with the innovation of modern media technology, and provided constructive suggestions for the inheritance and development of other excellent traditional cultures. However, there are still shortcomings in the research process, which are as follows:
5.1. The Survey Object Is Passive and the Effectiveness Is Low
Before the survey, the survey subjects should be vigilant and the team members should patiently explain the purpose and purpose of the questionnaire. During the filling process, it was found that their filling speed was too fast, and for respondents with no input and no output cost, they were more inclined to check the option of medium answer. Even when faced with an open question, their first reaction is to give up rather than think deeply, which may require more energy for in-depth analysis and research in the later stage.
5.2. Limited Scope of Investigation
In the statistical survey data, the team found that because the survey time was working days, there was a lack of a large number of survey pairs. Like, most of the investigators are local residents and staff who have lived for a long time, so they are more familiar with the sericulture industry. Yunlong Village has a majority of residents, and the lack of tourists means the lack of objective evaluation of sericulture, which causes certain obstacles to the later analysis of questionnaire survey data.
6. Main Contributions of the Research
This research provides valuable insights into methodological challenges, the significance of local expertise, and the importance of objective evaluations in studying cultural heritage, particularly within rural contexts such as Yunlong Village.
6.1. Identified Methodological Limitations
The research brings attention to the challenges posed by conducting surveys during working days, resulting in a scarcity of responses. This identification contributes to a deeper understanding of the obstacles encountered in obtaining comprehensive data in rural environments.
6.2. Highlighted Local Expertise
By recognizing the majority of investigators as local residents intimately familiar with the sericulture industry, the study emphasizes the significance of local knowledge. This insight enriches discussions on the pivotal role of indigenous expertise in research efforts.
6.3. Emphasized the Importance of Objective Evaluations
The research underscores the necessity of securing objective evaluations of sericulture, particularly in locales with limited tourist activity like Yunlong Village. This emphasis on objectivity fosters a more nuanced comprehension of the complexities inherent in assessing cultural heritage in rural settings.
7. Conclusion
As an important part of rural revitalization, industrial revitalization helps farmers achieve the goal of increasing income and getting rich. According to the opportunities and challenges faced by sericulture culture, explore its potential power, and promote the modern development and creative transformation of rural governance. Modern media is a powerful engine to promote the prosperity and development of traditional industries. We should attach importance to the application of modern media technology and explore new ways to increase industrial efficiency. At the same time, we should pay attention to the cultivation of inheriting talents, and use financial media technology to stimulate the young generation’s interest in traditional culture and improve the utilization rate of talents. In the long run, the use of financial media technology to help the transformation and upgrading of traditional agriculture will be the trend of agricultural development in modern society, and all social subjects should actively participate in the heritage and revitalization of sericulture culture, and promote the construction and development of rural areas.
Fund Project
“Research on Sericulture Inheritance and Revitalization Strategy in Yunlong Village, Haining City, in the Era of Convergent Media” of Scientific Research Training Program of Zhejiang University of Finance & Dongfang College in 2023 (Project No. 2023x087).
Appendix: Survey on the Status of Sericulture Inheritance and Revitalization in Yunlong Village, Haining City
1. What is your age? [Single Choice]
○ 17 years old or younger
○ 18 - 30 years old
○ 31 - 45 years old
○ 46 - 60 years old
○ 60 years old or above
2. Are you a local resident or a permanent resident of Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Yes, local resident
○ Yes, permanent resident of Haining but not a local resident
○ No
3. How familiar are you with the sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Very familiar
○ Quite familiar
○ Average
○ Not very familiar
○ Completely unfamiliar
4. Through which means have you acquired knowledge about the sericulture culture in Haining? [Multiple Choice]
□ Reading books and periodicals
□ Reading newspapers and magazines
□ Television media
□ Internet media
□ Radio
□ Introduction by relatives or friends
□ Tourism or field visits
□ Other, please specify: ___________________
5. Have you ever participated in activities related to the sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Yes
○ No
6. How do you assess the government’s efforts in the inheritance and development of sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Very good
○ Good
○ Average
○ Poor
○ Very poor
7. Would you be willing to participate in activities promoting sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Yes
○ No
○ Depends on the situation
8. How important do you consider the inheritance and revitalization efforts of sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Very important
○ Quite important
○ Average
○ Not very important
○ Not important at all
9. How do you perceive the current situation regarding the inheritance and development of sericulture culture in Haining? [Single Choice]
○ Optimistic
○ Somewhat optimistic
○ Average
○ Somewhat pessimistic
○ Pessimistic
○ Not aware
10. What do you believe are the main reasons for the gradual loss of sericulture culture in Haining? [Multiple Choice]
□ Weak awareness of protection among people
□ Lack of funding for protection
□ Lack of effective protection measures
□ Impact of foreign cultures and modern culture
□ Aging of inheritors with no successors
□ Lack of systematic and effective inheritance mechanisms
□ Lack of attractiveness in content
11. How do you think sericulture culture in Haining should be protected? [Multiple Choice]
□ Improve the inheritance and protection mechanism of sericulture culture
□ Increase the publicity and promotion efforts of sericulture culture
□ Organize public welfare activities related to the inheritance and protection of sericulture culture in communities
□ Increase investment in the inheritance and protection of sericulture culture
□ Conduct training activities for the inheritance of sericulture culture
□ Other, please specify: ___________________
12. In terms of promotion, which methods do you think would be more appealing and impactful in promoting sericulture culture in Haining? [Multiple Choice]
□ Distributing various materials such as brochures, posters, and scrolls
□ Print media promotion, such as newspapers and magazines
□ Online promotion, such as TikTok, Weibo, WeChat, etc.
□ Street media promotion, such as roadside billboards, public buses, etc.
□ Joint promotion with tourist attractions
□ Television advertising promotion
□ Other, please specify: ___________________
13. If activities related to sericulture culture in Haining were to be conducted, in what format would you prefer them to be? [Multiple Choice]
□ Performances
□ Sale of traditional handicrafts
□ Art exhibitions
□ Exhibitions on background and historical development
□ Food, entertainment, and games related to the culture
□ Hands-on experience
□ Incorporation into local primary and secondary school curriculum
□ Short video creation
□ Live broadcasting
□ Other, please specify: ___________________
14. Based on your understanding, what are the main obstacles encountered in the work of inheriting and developing sericulture culture? Please specify. [Open-ended]
____________________________________________________________
15. Please provide any additional opinions or suggestions you have regarding the inheritance and revitalization of sericulture culture. [Open-ended]
____________________________________________________________