Visual Transformation and IP Development as Approaches to Agricultural Heritage Conservation: A Case Study of the Hani Rice Terraces

Zhuncheng Zhao

doi:10.54691/py8dqg28

Authors

Zhuncheng Zhao School of Art and Design, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology Huaqing College, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710043, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54691/py8dqg28

Keywords:

Agricultural Heritage; Hani Rice Terraces; Visual Transformation; IP Development; Dynamic Conservation.

Abstract

This paper asks whether visual transformation and intellectual property (IP) development can provide new ways to address the central challenge in Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) conservation—how to keep heritage "alive" while also making it sustainable. We use the Honghe Hani Rice Terraces in Yunnan as our case. The analysis looks at the composite and dynamic nature of agricultural heritage, and the practical problems that conservation efforts are now facing. We argue that design-based translation and cultural branding can be useful tools for heritage protection. We propose a four-stage pathway: collecting cultural landscape resources, refining and symbolizing them, designing a core IP image and system, and finally embedding that IP system into the local community. The key idea is to re-express the ecological and cultural values of heritage through modern visual language and brand stories, and spread these through digital media. This approach keeps the "living" quality of heritage while allowing change, encourages community involvement and benefit sharing, and gives both a new theoretical view and practical guidance for adaptive management of agricultural heritage.

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