Mawei shipyard : sustainable conservation of the intangible cultural heritage of an industrial cultural landscape in Fuzhou, China

Abstract

If you asked anyone in China to identify famous shipyards with a long history, most Chinese will mention Dalian, north of China, or Shanghai. Both of these two cities have well known shipbuilding facilities which have a long history. However, shipyards with a long history and cultural significance are not only limited to these cities. In the southeast of China, Fuzhou also features a famous shipyard with a long history. Mawei Shipyard was a well-known shipyard in far east during late 19th century. This thesis will focus on Mawei Shipyard and its neighborhood. This shipyard has been in constant use for shipbuilding productions for over 150 years and continues to be in use as a shipyard today. The shipyard and its neighborhood have a unique cultural landscape which is relatively rare as such sites have gradually disappeared in 21st century China. Mawei Shipyard has unique values not only to economy, but also socially and culturally. The shipyard is worth exploring in detail to reveal its history, rich intangible cultural heritage and special reputation. This research explores and identifies the intangible cultural heritage of Mawei Shipyard mainly by utilizing cultural mapping as a tool to identify previous and current intangible cultural heritage. It reveals the current conditions of intangible cultural heritage under the rapid development of urban city. It identifies, records and documents the intangible cultural heritage of Mawei Shipyard in different kinds. And then analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats is used to reveal the challenges of conservation work according with the contemporary conditions of those intangible cultural heritage. Finally, recommendations about suitable solutions to solve the contradiction or improve the situation is put forward as a reference for best conservation and future development of Mawei Shipyard.