Laou Kai Fook : a living intangible industrial/business heritage, case study of a traditional fabric and tailor shop in Shanghai

Abstract

Traditional fabric and tailoring shops, which had a close relationship to the textile industry once flourished in Shanghai, used to play a vital role in people’s daily life and thus forming the culture of purchasing fabrics and tailoring. Nowadays, most of them are disappearing in a rapid speed without raising too many public concerns.

Laou Kai Fook, as the most time-honored traditional fabric and tailoring shop, is a unique and rare example to show that how it relates to the textile industry and the role of it in forming the tailoring culture in Shanghai.

This thesis will focus on “Laou Kai Fook” to understand its intrinsic heritage significance by studying its business history, and its connections to the development of the textile industry as well as the evolution of the tailoring culture. A new approach of understanding heritage significances will be introduced to emphasize the relationships between the tangible and intangible aspects in order to form a more comprehensive image of the cultural heritage in a larger context.