This paper uncovers forgotten and concealed aspects of the history of Chinese Folklore Studies, highlighting a less touched upon dimension: the relationship between folklore studies and material culture viewed through the lens of “Wu物” by tracing the history of the term “Minsu Wen-wu民俗文物”.
Before 1980, tangible folk materials were vaguely referred to as “Fengsu Wu-pin風俗物品” or “Minsu Wu-pin民俗物品”, lacking a clear definition. After 1980, “Minsu Wen-wu” gained institutional traction, leading to the birth of new disciplines such as “Minsu Wen-wu Xue民俗文物学” and “Wen-wu Minsu Xue文物民俗学”. Nonetheless, research on “Minsu Wen-wu” remained limited. Meanwhile, newly established museums and the cultural preservation movement prioritised the recording and conservation of crafts and artisanal objects, also referred to as “Minsu Wen-wu”. With the introduction of the concepts of “cultural heritage” and “intangible cultural heritage”, interest shifted from the objects themselves to the processes of transmission and the cultural contexts of their creation and use.
By examining the history of the term “Minsu Wen-wu” from 1983 to 2013, this paper shows that while it served societal expectations, it ultimately wasn’t sustained as an academic framework within Chinese folklore studies. At the same time, the approaches to the term “Minsu Wen-wu” presented in this paper—developed by researchers from diverse disciplines—are creating opportunities for further methodological development.
