Silver Product Design Strategy Based On The Concept Of Ecological Symbiosis

Abstract

The craftsmanship of making silver products in Heqing (also known as Xinhua Village), Yunnan Province, China, was designated as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014. However, the overwhelming volume of orders can no longer be fulfilled through handcraft alone.  This has led to the integration of modern techniques such as mechanical processing into silver product manufacturing, which has in turn resulted in a rise in the similarity of silver product designs. Researchers aimed to address the issue of homogenization in silver product design in Xinhua Village, Yunnan Province, and drew on the theory of ecological symbiosis to explore the relationship between silver product design and production technology. The study was conducted using questionnaires, quantitative analysis, and design practices. Firstly, through literature review and analysis, proposed the hypothesis model and design process of this project; Secondly, design silver products based on the design process, and conduct a questionnaire survey on the products to validate the path relationship of the model. The findings of the study show that production technology does not significantly influence the design of silver products, yet under the influence of the ecological symbiosis theory, production technology significantly influences the design of silver products.  In silver product design, the more crucial factors to consider are the demands of orders and cultural factors. The findings of this study can offer insights for other similar traditional crafts to address the issue of design homogeneity.