The impact of paper-cutting commercialization in Yu County on local economic development
1. Yu County paper-cutting industry promotes the development of related industries
Yixian paper-cutting "is purely an incidental side business at the beginning, and if the benefits brought by this preliminary transaction are not large, it will always be an incidental side business, but if the benefits are considerable, this new activities will grow." In other words, if greater profits can be obtained from paper-cutting activities, artists will be attracted to increase investment and expand production, so that this sideline business will gradually evolve into the main business and take a dominant position in the family economy. The further expansion of the scale of production has gradually given rise to the idea of ????abandoning agriculture and starting independent factories and operations among artists.
The paper-cutting industry in Yu County has seen an increase in the number, scale, and rapid commercialization of enterprises. It has also driven the development of related industries, such as printing, frame making, lacquer frames, plastic packaging, album production, packaging, product transportation, etc. . Yuxian paper-cutting breaks through tradition and continuously develops new products, including the printing of greetings, desk calendars, and wall calendars, the framing and glazing of works of different sizes, the mounting of scrolls and gift albums, and the final box packaging of some paper-cutting products. , shipped out of Yu County to other places, etc. With the development of Yu Countys paper-cutting industry, these related industries have grown from scratch or grown from small to large, and have also become a way for people in Yu County to get rich.
2. The paper-cutting industry in Yu County has increased employment opportunities
For Yu County, the significance of paper-cutting to the lives of local people is obvious. First of all, paper-cutting can solve the problem of idleness or unemployment among farmers outside of agricultural seasonal production. Agricultural production is seasonal, and farmers cannot produce all year round, which creates invisible unemployment. "Cottage handicrafts can make full use of farmers' leisure time and agricultural idle labor caused by agricultural seasonality. Farmers' cottage industries are mostly operated as farm sidelines and are a supplement to agriculture." Paper-cutting, as a rural sideline, increases farmers' production. , farmers do not have to leave their hometowns during slack periods and can realize on-site transformation, solving the unemployment problem in rural areas. Secondly, the related industries driven by paper-cutting provide a large number of employment opportunities, absorb a large number of labor forces, and solve some employment problems. forIn order to adapt to the rapid development of Yu Countys paper-cutting industry, the demand for products in related industries has also increased significantly, and the required labor force has also increased accordingly, which objectively solves the employment problem of some people. Third, the paper-cutting industry in Yu County not only solves the problem of local surplus labor, but also absorbs a considerable part of the surplus labor from outside. Yuxian paper-cutting skill is a craft that can provide food and clothing, and even make a fortune. The many successful examples of Yuxian paper-cutting artists attract people to learn this skill and enter this industry. Among them are people from Yuxian County and people from neighboring counties. , and people from neighboring provinces, such as Guangling County in Shanxi Province, which borders Yu County. There are people who study and work in Yu County paper-cutting factories and earn a living by their crafts. The related industries driven by the paper-cutting industry in Yu County also include many migrant workers from neighboring areas. They have found jobs in Yu County that suit them and make a living.
3. Yuxian paper-cutting industry supports Yuxian’s economic transformation
From the beginning, "paper-cutting was done for survival" in Yu County, to "there are paper-cutting artists distributed in 16 of the 22 towns in the county and 96 administrative villages, including 28 professional paper-cutting villages and more than 1,100 professional paper-cutting households." , with more than 30,000 employees; an annual output of more than 3 million sets of paper-cutting, and an annual income of more than 9,000 yuan per year." Now, the annual output of paper-cutting is more than 5 million sets, with an annual income of more than 200 million yuan, accounting for 10% of the countys GDP. Nearly 4%, becoming the flagship product of Yu Countys characteristic economy and an important industry that enriches the people, effectively promoting the development of the local economy.
The best way to inherit and promote the art of paper-cutting is to go to the market, realize self-worth, and promote industrial development. The Yu County government has always adhered to the concept of "leading leadership and cluster development" to support the industrial development of paper-cutting. As early as 1954, a paper-cutting factory was established in Yu County. Since the 1990s, the number of professional paper-cutting manufacturers has increased from small to large, from small workshop production to intensive professional production. In the process of operation, a "product design + The industrialized operation model of "scale production + promotion and marketing". It has cultivated 1 first-class folk arts and crafts master awarded by UNESCO, 5 arts and crafts artists, 21 provincial arts and crafts masters, 4 first-class artists, 11 arts and crafts artists, and created a number of professional marketing team. Especially in recent years, the Yuxian County Party Committee and County Government have prioritized the development of Yuxian paper-cutting industry as an important support point for the countys economic transformation. They have provided many preferential policies and promoted the joint development of enterprises, gradually forming the first paper-cutting street in China and Nanzhangzhuang. The two paper-cutting industry bases are the leaders and the 28 paper-cutting professional villages are the radiating points.
Yuxian paper-cutting has made a huge contribution to the economy of Yuxian. In seeking space for the survival and protection of intangible cultural heritage in industrialization and marketization, gratifying results have been achieved. Yuxians experience deserves attention and research.
