Inheritance and Development of Batik in Rongjiang Country, Guizhou Province under the Background of Big Data

WANG Ni(王 妮), WU Weixi(吴惟曦), DONG Yufei(董宇飞)

School of Fashion, Wuhan Textile University, Wuhan 430070, China

Abstract: This paper takes the protection research of Guizhou Rongjiang batik as a starting point by literature search and field investigation. Firstly, the background of big data and the value of Rongjiang batik are briefly analyzed. Secondly, the intangible cultural heritage(ICH) protection and industrial development status of Rongjiang batik are investigated. Finally, the use of big data technology is proposed to promote the inheritance and development of Rongjiang batik and enable the applicaiton of its modern design for keeping pace with the times. It is necessary to make full use of the current social and public resources as well as the resources in universities for dissemination and popularization, and to build a new form of “Internet + Inheritor of ICH”.

Key words: big data；batik；intangible cultural heritage(ICH) inheritance； Guizhou Rongjiang

Introduction

With its own unique artistic and design style and national aesthetic taste, the batik products produced in Rongjiang country, Guizhou province have become very valuable for art appreciation and deeply integrated into the daily life of local people. In recent years, scholars and batik inheritors pay an increasing attention to the research of inheritance and development of batik which is promoted by big data. Based on the main content of protection and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of big data, Wang[1]analyzed the current situation and thereby instructed its management. In terms of the profound significance of big data application in the scope of digital protection of ICH skills in embroidery, Li[2]specifically analyzed the protection approach of ICH projects of embroidery driven by big data from the aspects of data storage, dynamic management, application scope, cultural gene research, and protection ideas. Though media activity’s analysis on some parts of the ICH items inscribed on the ICH list, Wuetal.[3]analyzed the attention and causes of ICH in large-scale data on the internet to propose corresponding strategies and find ways and means in the field of communication for the activation of ICH. Moreover, we integrate digital technologies into the ICH industry, which play a positive role in expanding the ways of cultural expression, increasing the depth of creative content, and providing organization advantage[4].

Rongjiang batik should be developed and utilized in a highly innovative way, taking into account the innovative capacity of the inheritors, following the rapid development trend of the internet and using technologies such as big data and cloud computing to develop and utilize its cultural resources, and produce products with added value. Furthermore, Rongjiang batik should be integrated with local tourism and cultural industries to ensure that the “Internet+” technology is used to boost cultural industries in the context of big data, making Rongjiang batik be a unique local cultural symbol, establishing a cultural tourism brand, promoting economic development and, raising the cultural confidence of the public.

1 Big Data Background Overview

Big data has launched a new era of digital revolution. As we move into the era of big data, data have become an indispensable source of information in peoples lives. In Ref.[5], the United States released theBigDataResearchandDevelopmentInitiativein 2012, which explicitly mentioned the need to collect and process complex and diverse data and information to gain knowledge and unique insights to drive continuous innovation in science or engineering, as well as to benefit the cultural and art industries. In the following years, China first mentioned big data in the government work report. And in 2015, China announced that big data had become a core element of the national strategy through theActionPlanforPromotingtheDevelopmentofBigData, which was included in the Five-Year Plan in 2016, at which time the innovative application of big data began to achieve deeper development. In February of the same year, China built the country’s first Big Data (Guizhou) Comprehensive Pilot Zone in Guiyang[6]. A year later, with the promulgation of theBigDataIndustryDevelopmentPlan(2016—2020), the development plan and related work on the big data industry for the 13th Five-Year Plan period was officially launched. Big data is a large collection of data, and its characteristics can be described by the “4V”,i.e., volume, velocity, variety and virtual[7], as shown in Table 1. The core value of big data needs to be reflected through various applications. In this context, information and data have become the dominant force in the new era. Since the introduction of big data, people’s thinking systems have changed dramatically. Instead of acting on the basis of achievements and subjective intuition, people make decisions and take action after understanding the facts and obtaining data, which has greatly improved their ability to integrate and use information resources and their level of innovation.

Table 1 Characteristics of big data

It is difficult to completely restore the ecological environment of Rongjiang batik, but if big data technology can be introduced to realize craft teaching, internet dissemination, and product innovation about Rongjiang batik, it would be able to better adapt to the requirements of the times and realize the organic connection and integration of the ancient and the modern, thus providing new opportunities, conditions, and means for the inheritance and development of Rongjiang batik. At present, the digital conservation of batik in China mainly focuses on the storage and display of batik data, while visual documents are the most crucial information carrier in the digital conservation of batik. The key features of big data are that big data contains a large number of data and greater variety, and the data can be processed in a short time. It can be used in the conservation of batik and other non-heritage materials and has a wide range of values and functions. In this context, the inheritors of Rongjiang batik should follow the development of the times, actively combine big data technology with Rongjiang batik and carry out innovative research in terms of dissemination methods and product development,etc. so that Rongjiang batik can be inherited and developed in the new era.

2 Value Analysis of Rongjiang Batik

Batik is one of the ICH of China. The batik in Rongjiang country, Guizhou province has a very representative ethnic identity because of its unique natural environment. Through the batik works, one can also appreciate the regional flavour of the ethnic minorities, which covers historical significance as well as social and cultural connotations. In the context of big data, the heritage of Rongjiang batik still needs to adhere to the principles of maintaining the artisan spirit, stimulating creative vitality, promoting employment and income generation, and promoting green development. The heritage and protection of the Rongjiang batik industry should also be based on its excellent traditional Chinese cultural values, which are mainly manifested in the following two aspects.

2.1 Historical and cultural value of Rongjiang batik

Batik is an integral part of the Miao people’s clothing culture. It has a long history, as early as the Spring and Autumn period, when the wise Miao ancestors already created the batik process on the basis of vegetable blue dye. The long and pleasant natural climate and the relatively closed environment deep in the mountains have made batik be a part of their history and culture. So the batik has been passed down from generation to generation, and it has been well preserved and is still practiced today. As a lifestyle “art”, batik is deeply integrated into the daily life of the people in Rongjiang, and is an important part of their folklore and cultural activities[8]. Whether it is the decoration of houses for ethnic festivals or the ceremonial costumes for wedding or funeral, the folk religious beliefs in the worship of the gods, or the delicate floral ornaments worn on colourful costumes, the various batik activities are all closely related to the specific cultural atmosphere and living environment of Rongjiang. Naturally, batik has become an essential skill in the daily life of the people, and along with the formation of traditional Miao people batik costume decorative art, it has become a living fossil in the history of Chinese costume printing and dyeing art.

It is worth noting the striking presence of Rongjiang batik in the traditional Rongjiang Guzang Festival[9]. As shown in Fig.1, the Rongjiang Guzang Festival is a festival created for ancestor worship. Under normal circumstances, the festival is celebrated once every twelve years, and on this day, people hold activities such as cutting cows and sacrificing bones in order to send the ancestral spirits back to heaven for the purpose of blessing. In the village of Baibei, township of Xinghua in Rongjiang county, the women make long batik “Guzang” streamers, which are 5-7 m long, with primitive and rude patterns such as centipede dragons and bird dragons. During the festival, a large number of long streamers are held up on long sticks, and people group together to sing and dance in order to awaken the ancestral spirits of each family.

Fig. 1 Rongjiang Guzang Festival of Miao people(picture from the website of Guangming picture)

2.2 Artistic appreciation value of Rongjiang batik

The style of batik decoration varies from one region to another due to the different living habits and development history of the ethnic minority clans in Guizhou province. The main feature of Rongjiang batik is that it is “multi-footed”, with the area around Pingyong town and Xinghua township in Rongjiang county and Dujiang town in Sandu county being the main centres. The common motifs in Rongjiang batik include flowers, birds, fish, insects, geometric patterns, and other decorative motifs, which are painted in a primitive and rough style with vivid and smooth lines. The “multi-footed” means that there are various animal patterns on the fabric, such as snakes, centipedes, and birds. The lines of these feet are repeated in short, asymmetrical, regular curves. These feet have the appearance of being arranged in a particular way, while preserving the randomness and uniqueness of hand-drawing. The smooth lines and realistic forms, together with the embroidery and picking of flowers, are full of vividness and interest, showing the high level of skill of the women in Rongjiang. The style has become one of the unique styles of Rongjiang batik products. These delicate patterns are used on a large number of local garments such as tops, skirts, waists, and headscarves, all of which are masterpieces of batik art and have unique local characteristics, making the patterns a symbol of Rongjiang’s costume.

In addition to the “multi-footed” feature, the batik produced in the villages and towns under Rongjiang county also have their own characteristics. For example, the batik of the Miao people in the Baibei village has a strong witchcraft style, with ancient and mysterious patterns, a bold and majestic style, and vivid and smooth lines, mainly featuring spiky silkworm dragons and leaf dragons[10]. The plant blue dye and batik from this area are not only used for dressing on a regular basis, but also important ritual objects for ceremonies. The batik patterns from Pingyong town are more lively, with the outer outline of the pattern decorated with a circle of short curved lines, such as a hundred feet, spikes, or feathers, subtly embellished on the women’s dresses to create a beautiful, slender, ancient and elegant style shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 Batik works of Rongjiang women (taken by the author)

3 Big Data for Promoting Opportunity of Rongjiang Batik Protection

3.1 Publicity opportunities

Big data enables the quality and effectiveness of information dissemination to be greatly enhanced. Rongjiang batik has been developed in a relatively closed environment, which has led to the preservation of its original traditional craftsmanship and culture. But in order to promote the protection and inheritance of Rongjiang batik in the new era, it needs to be disseminated to the public, and publicity in the era of big data has produced great changes compared to previous publicity.

3.1.1Channeloptimization

In the era of big data, media communication has become a one-way communication that can not be interacted with, while the new media that have emerged can form a two-way interaction at the same time. Channel optimization means that the most suitable media can be selected according to the preferences of batik enthusiasts, and people can also use mobile apps or relevant websites to find their desired or favourite batik works in a short time with the help of channel optimized media, as well as share their personal opinions with other batik enthusiasts, enhancing the efficiency and acceptance of batik communication. The new media in the era of big data is given a new soul by the use of data and technology, and the communication of new media is based on the analysis and processing of data. New media in the era of big data will gradually take advantage of the traditional media.

3.1.2Accuratepushnotification

Big data publicity is to use the internet or a variety of technical means directly involved in the publicity process, and the traditional publicity is an undifferentiated “carpet” mode of publicity, without regard to whether the audience needs the information, and sometimes even cause the audience to resent, and accurate information push this way will be relatively largely promoted in the accuracy and initiative. Accurate push means that every message sent is the one you need. Accuracy is based on the analysis of internet browsing, search behaviour and consumption data of batik enthusiasts. Then, based on the data from social media such as Weibo and WeChat, the key words are classified according to the characteristics of batik, and the data are analyzed according to ages, structures, interests and other dimensions to reach a user portrait model of batik enthusiasts, and then information is pushed to Rongjiang batik enthusiasts according to the analysis results. The specific process of precise push is shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 Specific process of precise push

3.1.3Instantinteraction

Another change in the publicity of the big data era is the interactivity of media publicity, from the traditional one-way media publicity mode to a two-way media publicity mode in which the publicity effect can be immediately known through various data. Traditional publicity requires questionnaires and other forms to know the effectiveness of publicity, but the use of big data technology can achieve instant interaction between the behind-the-screen batik communicator and the audience, immediately know the viewer’s views, attitudes and so on. For example, the pop-up function provided by video websites instantly shows all viewers’ thoughts and “roasts”, so that the authors of the Rongjiang batik video can use such information to grasp the specific feelings, opinions and requests of the viewers, and then they adjust the content and methods of communication according to the actual situation, making the communication of the ICH more easily accepted by the audience and more easily integrated into real life.

In addition, big data has also brought about a trend towards the personalization of the subject of communication, which is reflected in the development and prevalence of “self-media”. Self-media is a form of media in which individuals are able to share what they see and hear with others through the use of software or means, thanks to the advancement of technology and the development of internet technology. The prevalence of self-media has gradually blurred the boundaries between the subject of communication and the audience. A person can be the audience as well as the disseminator of Rongjiang batik. Therefore, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the dissemination of Rongjiang batik, this method can be used to bring Rongjiang batik deeper into the public’s field of vision. At present, video software such as Tiktok, Kuaishou and Bilibili are on the rise and include different groups of people of all ages and a large number of users[11]. This will provide a stable platform and audience for the promotion of Rongjiang batik, and through these platforms, the public will be informed about the historical origins and production techniques of Rongjiang batik in a live and interactive manner. This will increase the attention of people in various localities to Rongjiang batik and enhance the general recognition of Rongjiang batik.

3.2 Inheritance opportunities

In the age of big data, online education is also an important source of access to knowledge and experiences. Currently, on some Taobao platforms, merchants selling “batik DIY kits” offer free batik courses to buyers, but most of these courses are short in length and vary in quality due to inadequate filming standards and teacher skills. If these courses could be integrated to form a systematic online system, using live or recorded lectures to pass on the skills, so that buyers can communicate with the teachers online, and the teachers can check the buyers’ work after the courses, more people who are unable to visit Rongjiang but are very interested in the art would be able to enjoy the fun of batik.

In addition, virtual reality technology can also be used to allow people to experience the batik process. The combination of ICH with various scenarios can help ICH break the limits of its own field and improve the efficiency of communication[12]. New technologies in the era of big data can provide new opportunities for the heritage of Rongjiang batik—virtualized heritage. Virtual display technology has emerged since the 1980 s, and it is a three-dimensional(3D) interactive technology that fuses multiple information. This technology uses computers and sensors to create virtual environments where people can interact with the computer’s vision, hearing and even movement when wearing specific gloves and helmet sensors. The technology allows the creation of a model of the batik production environment, simulating the various facilities, tools and scenarios required for the production of the process, as well as showing the production process with the help of animation technology, combined with interactive devices for capturing movements, 3D stereoscopic display technology and various internet technologies. This allows batik enthusiasts or learners in various regions to receive learning and training related to the Rongjiang batik on a virtual platform. Their interest in learning and studying the craft is stimulated, such that the craft can be passed on in a broader scope, and the paths for passing on the craft are enriched. Moreover, the cost for experiencing the craft is reduced and the environment for experiencing the craft is optimized. Therefore, people can have much imagination and diversified creative inspiration when learning or passing on the batik. In addition, it becomes possible to pass on the craft across geographical boundaries.

3.3 Non-destructive preservation of data

In order to improve the preservation of information on Rongjiang batik, digital conservation is the technical support for the transmission of Rongjiang batik in the context of big data. Non-destructive means that there is no harm, no damage. Batik cultural material as a transmission medium has a very important role in the transmission of Rongjiang batik. In the face of the impact of modern industrial civilization, the ancient Rongjiang batik traditional techniques can be affected in some ways. There are instances of distortion and loss of information on Rongjiang batik due to the instability of social and natural factors. The process of batik heritage is also prone to data errors due to certain personal subjective factors. If digital technology can be used to record and categorize today’s batik patterns and skill processes, it can have certain inheritance and conservation advantages and will become an important trend in the future, which will be of great significance for the conservation of Rongjiang batik. As the inheritors are the carriers of Rongjiang batik, several parts of inheritors’ biographies, inheritance genealogies, printing and dyeing techniques, pattern records, processes, works, and artistic pictures could be edited and transformed into a digital format, and after the data has been collected and collated, into electronic data so that it can be saved in a carrier such as CD-ROM or computer hardware. At a time when digital multi-media continues to develop, it is inevitable that the production methods and artworks of Rongjiang batik will be brought back into people’s lives through the use of virtual space. This requires the creation of archives and databases, as well as the use of the internet and social media to enhance digital publicity. By organizing the data and resources of Rongjiang batik and transforming the physical resources into various types of data resources for preservation, the security of Rongjiang batik materials is greatly enhanced due to the extremely low cost of data storage and the ease of copying, so that the data of batik will not be lost over time and all innovative changes of Rongjiang batik can be preserved intact. This will not only enrich the content of Rongjiang batik, but also improve the quality of the heritage of Rongjiang batik.

In addition, internet technology can also be used to collate and exhibit data material. For example, the Brobaery Batik Museum in Anshun is running as an online museum. In addition to the usual exhibition preview and exhibition overview sections, the website also classifies Guizhou batiks by region, allowing users to view an overview and details of all the batik collections in the museum online, which is more conducive to publicity and research.

3.4 Scientific research opportunities

The era of big data also offers opportunities for scientific research on Rongjiang batik, which will bring about innovations in research paradigms and methods for Rongjiang batik. The scientific study of Rongjiang batik can be promoted by means of big data. In the context of big data, data on Rongjiang batik continue to accumulate in large quantities, and the level of data collection and analysis is greatly enhanced, allowing for the discovery of patterns and trends in the development of Rongjiang batik in terms of breadth and depth, continuing to broaden and deepen people’s knowledge of this heritage, and enabling scientific research on batik to continue to develop from an innovative perspective. In terms of empirical research, the internet will become an important experimental site for batik research；in terms of batik survey data collection, the traditional questionnaire method will be replaced by the much more authentic and credible sensor collection method；and the access to scientific research data on Rongjiang batik will shift from the traditional manual collection and software search to relying mainly on big data technology mining[13]. These innovations in research methods will lead Rongjiang batik research to a higher level.

For example, the Baidu index is based on the search volume of internet users in Baidu. Taking keywords as the statistical object, and the system scientifically analyses and calculates the weighted sum of the search frequency of each keyword in Baidu web search. Baidu index can reflect the “user attention” of different keywords in the past period of time[14]. This not only reflects the behaviour of internet users in exploring unknown information and key events, but also allows us to understand the relevance of key concerns and related issues, and to analyze the relationship between these issues[15]. By entering the keyword “batik” into the Baidu index, we can obtain the search volume of this keyword by Baidu users in the past five years, as shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 Search volume for batik by Baidu users over the past five years

It can be seen that from the years 2017 to 2020, netizens’ concern for batik decreases year by year and rises sharply in 2021. The reasons for the decline and rise may be closely related to the hot events or education and research at that time. The current situation of the attention of textile ICH is analyzed through the Baidu index, and the textile ICH are classified and studied according to the temporal and spatial characteristics of the attention. By comparing and identifying the effective communication channels, Ref.[16] can provide for the communication strategy of textile ICH.

4 Inheritance and Development of Rongjiang Batik in the Era of Big Data

In order to better promote the conservation and development of the Rongjiang batik industry, it is necessary to gather the strength of multiple parties and effectively utilize social public resources for greater progress. Therefore, it is necessary to consider and reconstruct the path of Rongjiang batik heritage and development in accordance with the current characteristics and development trends of big data, in order to meet the dual needs of cultural heritage and the progress of the times, and to build a new form of “Internet+Inheritor of ICH”.

4.1 Management plat of non-structural data of Rongjiang batik

The management plat of non-structural data for batik emphasis on a complete preservation of batik and its management, of which data types can be divided into batik work data, inheritor data, batik craft process data, inheritor (group) experience data, tool and equipment data. What’s more, with the support of big data mining and visualization technology, experts and scholars can be assisted to sort out the relationship between data and intuitively demonstrate the correlation between knowledge.

The basis of following researches’ work data, can be divided into basic data, technical data, functional data, modeling data, and cultural data. The work data are the basis of subsequent research, and can be used for the setting of data collection standards and storage architecture logic. The work data in the platform tends to preserve historical or representative batik work data. In addition, batik works also include contemporary cross-border innovations that can be collected and stored according to the appropriate standards. The inheritor data includes the inheritor and the genealogy data, comprehensively records the inheritor(group) skill data, and can analyze the style characteristics of their main works, technical innovation and other knowledge. Genealogy data can be described as the inheritance of a certain craft. The experience data of inheritor include the skills and styles applied to batik works. The experience data can be quantified by using motion capture, gesture recognition and other technologies. It can record the data of the inheritors at key nodes, grasp the experience of the inheritors. The data of technical process comprises a series of key step data, which record the complete the process of the skill in detail.

4.2 Genetic research of Rongjiang batik culture

In the historical process of germinate, development and evolution, Rongjiang batik has gradually formed distinct style and characteristics, which is influenced by spiritual beliefs, humanistic ecology, folk customs, social systems, artistic aesthetics and other aspects. With the help of big data mining technology, the collected massive data can be clustered, filtered, extracted and recombined to study the “gene pool” of Rongjiang batik. It can be divided into “pattern gene bank”, “chromatographic network”, “cultural space gene bank” and so on.

4.3 Digit presentation

Big data is the foundation of the spread of Rongjiang batik, providing extensive and comprehensive materials for the dissemination of ICH. With the development of internet technology, the rise of new media, and the popularity of mobile devices, everyone can easily and quickly contact batik, which can expand the main body of batik transmission. Using big data to broaden the boundaries of exhibition and display, online digital museums break through the limitations of geography and time. The initial establishment of the ICH big data platform reflects the effectiveness and feasibility of the application of big data in the aspect of ICH. The “non-structural data” management platform of Rongjiang batik provides materials for the construction of the batik digital museum, integrates a variety of display forms (3D collection display, virtual scene roaming, and VR virtual operation experience). Through the display of digital platform and the development flow of Rongjiang batik, it provides digital museum with visitors and researchers anytime and anywhere.

While the offline exhibition display can activate the public’s sensory and emotional experience of ICH with the help of intelligent interactive media technology and the support of big data. From the reading experience of past text, it has transformed into a multi-sensory “immersive” experience for publics in an interactive way.

4.4 Integration of culture and travel

“Travel is a carrier, culture is a soul”[17]. This core concept of the integration of cultural travel reflects the importance of culture, and the development of ICH projects is often inseparable from a certain cultural space. ICH provides rich resources for this kind of integration, promotes the development of the local tourism industry and the improve economic income in Rongjiang, and facilitate the establishment of local cultural image. Based on big data, we can analyze user’s behavior patterns while traveling, and develop smart tourism models.

In addition, exquisite and practical products with cultural essence, such as products of the Shanghai Museum, are deeply welcomed by people. Big data can help developers accurately grasp users’ consumption preferences and trends, and plays an important role in the entire production and development process such as user analysis, creative research and development and accurate communication in the research and development of cultural and creative products.

4.5 Conceptual change of inheritors and cultivation of big data technology

The most important matter in inheriting ethnic minority culture is to cultivate more local learning talents. Based on the thousand-year inheritance of Rongjiang batik, the local young female inheritors have strong plasticity and learning ability, and they are not only cultural holders with stereotype, but also combine the application of new technologies to cultivate their own development orientation. We can combine the cultivation of female batik inheritors with big data technology. First, we can establish a big data network of existing and potential female inheritors, and use the latest information technology and equipment. Then, we can organize those young people who are concerned about batik together via QQ, WeChat or the establishment of an industry-specific social learning platform, to carry out technical exchanges. Finally, we can enhance the sense of identity of the mission of Rongjiang batik inheritance, improve the level of batik skills. So that the young inheritors scattered around the world can gain a sense of existence，which makes it possible to pass on the traditional batik technique at a low economic cost.

4.6 More inheritance opportunities and social support for applying big data technology

Batik is representative of Rongjiang culture, and requires study and competition, including learning class, research class for inheritors to exchange and communicate. Inheritors also need support from fund, culture and policy, such as the mechanism for them to open shops, factories, and the application for patent.

We should also make use of market and obtain social support to advance the heritage of Rongjiang batik. For example, to solve the difficulty that traditional handmade batik is difficult to compete with digital printing in terms of price, we can carry out dislocation competition and open up high-end markets. Specific practices：the enterprises associate with the Nationalities Committee, the All-china Women’s Federation and tourism departments, set up batik skills on-site display platform in high-end places such as five-star hotels, invite local batik masters or their inherited disciples to use traditional tools to paint wax on the spot and sell the products to customers in the high-end places. Another way is to develop an online sales platform, put Rongjiang batik products into a specific e-commerce platform, or create the own batik e-commerce official website. This not only enables participating enterprises and inheritors to obtain higher economic returns and achieve a win-win situation, but also promotes and carries forward the traditional Rongjiang batik culture.

5 Conclusions

As China has vigorously encouraged the development of cultural industries and cultural undertakings in recent years, the concept of human-centred lively lineage has taken a dominant position. It has been proven that combining Rongjiang batik with current trends through the guidance of technologies such as big data and cloud computing, increasing the society’s cultural recognition of Rongjiang batik, focusing on scientific guidance by the government, keeping up with current policies, and forming a distinctive inheritance and development model based on the state of local economic development are a practical path that can boost local economic and cultural development, as well as achieve the purpose of preservation and inheritance. It is the ultimate aim and direction of this study to inherit and develop Rongjiang batik into a new model and construct a sustainable development strategy for Rongjiang batik culture.