Problematic heritage for popular tourism: case studies in China

Abstract

This thesis explores what existing issue of the complex relationship between heritage conservation and popular tourism, and the related problems influenced by the development of tourism and economic. Currently, many problematic heritage conservation practices have occurred in China, such as heritage reconstruction, imitation of heritage, commercial packaging of heritage and losing the setting of heritage, etc. So, I supposed that there are deep socio-economic problems under those phenomena, and the value system of heritage conservation was occupied by the ideology of economic growth. Some local governments did some “big” so-called conservation projects for achieving revenue growth, and some government leaders even for their political achievements. Lack of the knowledge of heritage and conservation and dearth of talent in this area could still be obstacles to solve those problems.

In Chapter 2, the authenticity of two different examples of heritage reconstructions are compared – Mo Chi Garden and Jianfu Gong Garden – through information sources based on charters and guidelines. In Chapter 3, I am focusing on the issue of commercial packaging, and using various cases to understand the motive and goal of doing problematic conservation from different angles such like local government, private sector, estate developer, tourists and residents. And another main issue of losing the setting of heritage and focusing on fragments is discussed in my fourth chapter. In my last chapter, I use an analysis of Yellow Crane Tower to state a effective of dual identity which cause a misunderstanding to heritage conservation in China as a conclusion.

For those reconstruction buildings, we should be treating this as a reconstruction which happened time and again in the course of the history of man. And problems for those commercialized and setting-lost heritage structures and sites are not with whether they are cultural heritage or whether they compliant with the standards of being a cultural heritage, but the problem is on whether they keep the essence of history and preserve our culture. What makes something heritage, though, is that it records a long history and rich culture, which need inherit from us to the next generations. Today’s new building is tomorrow’s cultural heritage if we could give it meanings.