A symphony of threats and hope

This thesis tries to identify the threats to the sustainability of traditional folk crafts in China based on a case study of traditional Miao silverware crafts. Going from a value-based approach, the theoretical part combines the theory of cultural capital (Throsby, 1999), the theory of valuation, evaluation and valorisation (Klamer, 2003) and the stakeholder theory to argue that the sustainability of crafts depends on the valorisation of craft values by its stakeholders. Meanwhile, it builds a reference of the ideal situation where the sustainability of crafts can be perfectly guaranteed. The empirical part compares the practices of traditional Miao silverware crafts with the ideal framework to identify its threats, using a mixed method of 60 surveys and 8 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders including consumers, craftsmen, retailers, government officials, etc.. The main threat identified is that both local government and craftsmen ignore craft values and the importance of a supportive social sphere. The market logic where quantity and economic benefits predominate has been largely used to judge craft values. This makes the sustainability of crafts questionable because under pure market logic it is not possible for crafts to compete with machine-made products due to the lack of production effectiveness. The competitiveness of crafts lies in craft values and the appreciation of craft values in the social sphere.