As one of China's four renowned lacquers, the traditional lacquerware decoration techniques in Pingyao embody the millennia-old craftsmanship wisdom and cultural heritage of Shanxi. Its unique regional craft paradigm is formed by the "polishing" technique and decorative methods such as gilding and embossing. However, amidst the dual challenges of modernization and globalization, this ancient craft faces developmental hurdles, including a generational gap in succession, product stagnation, and market contraction: the traditional master-apprentice model struggles to meet the demands of modern talent development, with products predominantly confined to classic items like jewelry boxes and folding screens, lacking adaptability to contemporary lifestyles; simultaneously, amidst the digital revolution, young people's awareness of traditional crafts is waning, and the dissemination of these skills confronts the dilemma of "even good wine fears the deep alleys."Against this backdrop, folk art brands like "Natural Creation" and "Groundwork Crafts" have embraced the core philosophy of "reproduction, reconstruction, and regeneration," offering exemplary models for the vibrant preservation of intangible cultural heritage by tapping into the aesthetic appeal of traditional crafts and fostering a cross-industry ecosystem. Building upon this, this article examines contemporary development, integrating the historical legacy of Pingyao lacquerware decoration techniques with modern practices to explore new avenues for its evolution in terms of inheritance models, product innovation, and dissemination strategies, thereby providing theoretical insights and practical guidance for the modernization of traditional crafts.
Xue Mengyao (Wed,) studied this question.