In the ancestors' shadow : cultural heritage contestations in Chinese villages
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: This paper discusses the construction and (re-)interpretation of cultural heritage in Chinese villages within the context of the dramatic political and socio-economic changes that have taken place since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The paper addresses the contestations surrounding heritage sites and cultural heritage policy, and analyses both the ideological framework of cultural heritage policy and the legal and economic context. Particular attention is paid to the views and activities of different actors and stakeholders in heritage management at the village level. As part of the social and political transformation of the Chinese society after 1949, the Chinese state took over or destroyed many temples and ancestral halls on the countryside. This signified not only a struggle over political power but also a struggle over space, memory, and identity. In the 1980s, the countryside saw a cultural and religious revival as villagers started to reclaim and rebuild their temples and ancestral halls. Since the 1990s, these sites and buildings have also begun to receive attention and protection from the cultural relics bureaus. However, the process of selecting and proclaiming certain buildings as heritage sites, and exhibiting historic figures and events as part of a grand heritage narrative, not only changes the places themselves but also the local community’s views of its heritage and ability to control it. The “discovery” of these sites by tourism developers and the growth in tourism in recent years furthermore transforms the rural heritage into something of an economic asset. This development gives rise to new contradictions and conflicts over interpretation and management, and has in some cases led to dissatisfaction among villagers, who find themselves disinherited of their cultural heritage, excluded from the decision-making process, and not benefiting enough from tourism. Sites and buildings that were but recently recovered from the state today somewhat ironically risk being lost to cultural relics and/or tourism bureaus. This shows that contestations over space and historical memory are not static but change over time, taking different forms and involving new actors. Contestations do not only take place between local communities and the state/market but also within the local communities themselves. Local communities are not homogenous and there exist different views of and attachments to places and sites, depending on for example family history, religious convictions, as well as age and gender. The right to have one’s cultural heritage respected and protected, to be able to define it and to participate in decisions affecting it, is important for individual and collective identity and well-being, as well as a potential resource for and aspect of democracy and sustainable development. The paper is based upon a case study of the local heritage in selected villages in Zhejiang province. Some of the questions addressed are: What sites are important to the local community and why? What kinds of contestations over space and memory have taken place in the villages since 1949? What kinds of contestations and re-interpretations have occurred after local sites have become elevated to official/national heritage sites and/or become tourist attractions?
Author: Marina Svensson
Institution: Lund University
Language: English
Subfield: Archeology (arts and humanities)
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1741720875