ICH safeguarding actions : Jingdezhen porcelain industry skills in the context of UNESCO

Jingdezhen has a long history of porcelain making, a complex industrial structure, and extensive skill systems. The objectives of this dissertation focus on: in such a pan-systemic craft industry city, what actions for ICH safeguarding have been taken by multiple actors, how these actions have impacted the city's social and physical structures, what adaptive changes have occurred in the skills and craftspeople of the porcelain industry during ICH safeguarding, and how the safeguarding rules have undergone responsive adjustment in practice. This dissertation selected ICH safeguarding of porcelain industry skills in Jingdezhen as the research object, primarily employing interviews and participant observation to conduct a qualitative study on the ICH safeguarding actions of multiple actors. As an urban case, Jingdezhen exhibits striking characteristics. During the activation phase of action nets, the government played a dominant role; after the foundational construction phase was completed, it granted greater autonomy to other actors through policy support, platform establishment, and power delegation, and subsequently withdrew from its leading position. The advancement of ICH safeguarding in Jingdezhen benefits from two boundary objects: inventory systems and nomination texts. The pluralized inventory systems create multiple pathways for actor participation, while the broad nomination texts provide ample space for actions. In Jingdezhen, the ICH safeguarding center manifests not as a single fixed institution but instead presents as a dispersed state. Relevant institutions, safeguarding carriers, Representative Inheritors, other actors already integrated into or proposing to join action nets, and even enthusiastic individuals actively interpret ICH, formulate safeguarding plans, and influence safeguarding actions. Some safeguarding concepts within these dispersed centers dominate for various reasons, and ultimately influence the ICH safeguarding framework, government policymaking, and heritage narrative. The activation, construction, and operation of ICH safeguarding action nets require cross-field collaboration, with boundary spanners playing a crucial role. In selecting and revitalizing cultural practices, Jingdezhen's ICH safeguarding actions follow "narrative rationality." Once a fulcrum is identified in the porcelain industry historical narrative sequence, inscribing these skills in the Representative Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage Elements is justified. In this process, the existence of history and the continuity of transmission are even potentially disregarded. Subsequently, through continuous modification and investment, the logical connections between elements and their relationship with Jingdezhen porcelain industry history are continuously strengthened; the narrative rationality is sustainably reinforced. In the coexisting market of handmade and mechanized porcelain, ICH safeguarding continually generates "rational narratives" that validate the price differentials between them. Jingdezhen's ICH safeguarding demonstrates a strong "textual constraint": the preparation of application/recommendation files determines the outcome of identification, with factors such as boundary spanners' assistance and actors' first-mover advantages explicitly reflected in the documentation. As the identification of Representative Inheritors progresses, an "annex book" derived from the application/recommendation forms has emerged and shows a trend toward refinement. Due to the "transmission lineage" requirements in the forms, craftspeople strategically adjust and present their social relations. Some proactively establish connections with craftspeople possessing the same skill type to embed themselves in a specific transmission lineage for application. This process has formed new social networks, "tabular relationships," among craftspeople. After inscription, the nomination texts for elements, Representative Inheritors, and safeguarding carriers are widely reproduced by media, which then in turn shapes CGIs' perception of ICH. These texts, especially those for element nomination, serve as the blueprints and templates for other plans, programs, and forms. Each semantic unit within them may be selected and translated by actors to guide or explain their actions, with element names exerting particularly significant influence as their most concise and direct part. The ambiguity of nomination texts has triggered "reconstruction of tangible carriers," while their breadth has given rise to the "pre-established inventory" mechanism, facilitating the "classification identification" model. The "pre-established inventory" refers to compiling an inventory based on the overall status of ICH prior to element nomination. This mechanism serves to safeguard complex comprehensive elements and establish regional inventories, while also providing adjustment strategies for elements whose practical existence is disconnected from the inscription. Under this mechanism, if an element has a broad scope, making its safeguarding challenging to focus or implement, it can be treated as a parent element and divided into sub-elements to refine safeguarding content. Conversely, if an element has a narrow scope, resulting in insufficient safeguarding coverage or failing to encompass the complete practice system, it can be incorporated into a broader parent element to integrate and expand safeguarding content. The national-level element Jingdezhen Handmade Porcelain Skills encompasses all skills of the porcelain industry, requiring group collaboration. Simultaneously, China conducts individual identification for Representative Inheritors. To address the disconnect between safeguarding rules and the existence of elements, multiple actors eventually confirmed the "classification identification" model. This model takes the integrity of the parent element's core content as a prerequisite. It first divides the parent element into sub-elements using specific criteria, forming a "pre-established inventory." Then, it conducts applications and recommendations for Representative Inheritors of sub-elements, ultimately jointly identifying qualified craftspeople as representative inheritors. This approach not only facilitates the identification of Representative Inheritors for group collaborative elements but also provides a systematic safeguarding framework for elements where a broad scope and complex internal structure has caused a disconnect between Representative Inheritor identification and transmission practices. This model achieves organic integration between the dynamic adjustment of the inventory system and transmission practices.