When time-honored intangible cultural heritage craftsmanship faces new development hurdles such as capital shortages, insufficient design support and limited sales channels, what solutions are available? Recently, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Jiangsu Province, together with nine other authorities including the Department of Education, the Department of Industry and Information Technology and the Department of Finance, jointly issued the Measures for Supporting the Cultural and Creative Development of Micro and Small Enterprises Engaged in Intangible Cultural Heritage in Jiangsu Province (Trial). The document puts forward 16 targeted measures to address these challenges.

   At present, Jiangsu has registered more than 110,000 micro and small enterprises (including individual businesses) related to intangible cultural heritage, nearly 80% of which operate cultural and creative businesses. The measures define eligible recipients as qualified small or micro intangible cultural heritage enterprises, with priority support for cultural and creative product development, brand operation and IP incubation. The province will conduct comprehensive surveys, dynamically update the enterprise directory, and select no fewer than 300 innovative enterprises for key cultivation.

   To tackle bottlenecks in funding and workspace, concrete support has been rolled out. Enterprises that meet standards for annual R&D and launch of intangible cultural heritage cultural and creative products will receive subsidies. They may also apply for the Su Tourism Loan with interest discounts. Financial institutions will launch the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Loan and set up fast-track approval channels. In terms of venues, local authorities are encouraged to repurpose idle spaces for intangible cultural heritage workshops and exhibition halls with rent reductions as part of urban renewal. Public cultural and tourism spaces will be opened for immersive experiences and themed markets.

   Traditional craftsmanship will be revitalized through design empowerment and technological assistance. Under the measures, no fewer than 100 design salons and special lectures will be held each year. At least 50 enterprises will be paired with designers to develop over 100 distinctive cultural and creative products and city souvenirs. The AI Partner Initiative will also be launched to help enterprises adopt AI for creative design and 3D modeling and improve sample production efficiency. Supported by the Jiangsu Museum Cultural and Creative Alliance, enterprises can further cooperate on IP licensing of museum collections, jointly develop national trend cultural and creative goods, VR/AR interactive experiences and digital collectibles, and connect online and offline sales channels. Furthermore, to integrate culture, commerce, sports and tourism, at least 100 enterprises will take part in cross-industry promotion and negotiation events annually. No fewer than 50 promising firms will be matched with leading industry players to launch co-branded products.

   The measures also encourage core enterprise staff to apply for titles including representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, masters of arts and crafts and Jiangsu Craftsmen. Qualified practitioners may serve as industrial professors at vocational schools. Annual online and offline training will cover no fewer than 500 participants. For brand development, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Cultural and Creative Committee will be established under the Jiangsu Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Association to provide brand diagnosis services for a minimum of 200 enterprises each year. Efforts on intellectual property protection will be strengthened, including consultation on registration, guidance for adopting data intellectual property rights and blockchain evidence preservation, as well as mechanisms for fast-track rights enforcement and public legal aid against infringements.

Source: Guangming Daily

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