Three streets and two lanes : rediscovering the intangible cultural heritage and building cultural identity of a place

Abstract

The historical district of Three Streets and Two Lanes (TSTL) was the economic and cultural centre of Nanning in the early 20th century. This district attracted celebrities and tradesmen from all over China, witnessing the prosperity in culture and business. Over time, the district gradually decayed since the change of the city. The two-storey residential buildings were mainly replaced by ordinary residential buildings. Nevertheless, there is a rich culture asset survived in TSTL. In 2016, the conservation project of TSTL was put on the agenda officially. A small number of the original buildings have been retained and the mediocre buildings were replaced by reconstructed mansions in accordance with the original appearance. In 2018, the project was open as a popular site in Nanning. The project, however, was considered as “fake heritage” because of the extensive reconstruction, which may be unsuitable to meet the government’s cultural and economic agenda. Since it is too late to save the tangible cultural heritage, the author wonders if there are still intangible cultural heritage elements that have survived and can be safeguarded. This dissertation aims to evaluate the current condition of intangible heritage and provide specific and feasible guidelines for them to retain the character and build the identity culturally. The collection of primary data for the research is conducted through field study, questionnaire and interview. The questionnaires serve the purpose of investigating visitors’ views on the issues of safeguarding the intangible cultural heritage (ICH) of TSTL and Nanning. For secondary data, publications in libraries, UNESCO documents on ICH are referenced.