Intangible Cultural Heritage Management in China: A Case Study of the Yangzhou Engraved Block Printing Technique

In recent decades, China has invested critical resources in the rapid development of programs and projects designed to celebrate and safeguard its Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). The Yangzhou engraved block printing technique is one of the ICH practices that has benefited from this increased cultural investment. Invented in the 6th century CE, block printing is the earliest technique of its kind, imbuing this still-living practice with significant historical and cultural importance. About 30 years ago, however, this once vibrant emblem of cultural heritage was under imminent threat of extinction. Following the demolition of cultural heritage during the Cultural Revolution and the rapid progress of modernization, the practice almost entirely disappeared due to a lack of interest in apprenticeship and a depressed market. This research project explores the relationship between Yangzhou engraved block printing and China’s commitment to preserving ICH. It does so by first investigating the historical circumstances of the technique in China and establishing the place of the technique in presentday Chinese society. This study utilizes block printing as an ethnographic case study to evaluate the efficacy of ongoing preservation projects aimed at resuscitating dying heritage elements. In doing so, this thesis demonstrates how block printing, and the safeguarding efforts being employed to save it, may serve as a successful model for the preservation of other ICH practices and provides concrete suggestions for future developmental directions.