Intergenerational evolution of intangible cultural heritage through tourism development: perspectives of practitioners in Hangzhou China

ABSTRACT As cultural carriers of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), practitioners are key stakeholders in its inheritance and tourism use. Master-apprentice transmission is a major mechanism of generational inheritance. This paper examines ICH masters and apprentices at the Arts & Crafts Museum of Hangzhou, China, and analyzes the cultural composition of handicraft ICH and its intergenerational evolutionary mechanisms. Semi-structured interviews with two generations of practitioners and participant observation were undertaken. Research results reveal that intergenerational evolution involves multifaceted stakeholder interactions centred on practitioners with the support of government, management of the museum and participation of visitors. With patterns of family and master-apprentice inheritance, two generations of practitioners facilitate the evolution of handicraft ICH though both co-creations and conflicts. Second, six cultural attributes for handicraft ICH as of material, pattern, shape, technique, image and system are identified to visualise the process of intergenerational evolution. Third, driven by internal and external factors, ICH evolves through tracks of inheritance, selection and variation as presented through the above six cultural attributes. Moreover, the interdependence of cultural elements highlights the heritage framework of handicraft ICH and reflects the fluidity of authenticity. Accordingly, theoretical contributions and future research directions are offered for the sustainable development of handicraft ICH.