published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

The pursuit of cultural heritage conservation is particularly problematic in China as the country has been undergoing substantial changes in its governance processes in the post-reform era. As the regime becomes less authoritarian and more pluralized, a multitude of stakeholders (both state and non-state), are now involved in promoting, constructing, challenging and safeguarding a variety of meanings and values in heritage. This thesis incorporates an urban governance lens to examine the policy and practical problems in conserving urban built heritage in contemporary China. This approach offers a new perspective in understanding the distribution of authority and power between the state and society as well as its effect on the management of public affairs. The reconfigurations of the role of the state, market and civil society have ushered in a new phase of urban politics that have enormous implications for built heritage conservation practices. As a result of reforms, conventional stakeholders have assumed new roles in politics; meanwhile, an increasing variety and number of new stakeholders connected to the non-state sector have also emerged; and their relationships and interactions with the state have become increasingly complex. An urban governance perspective draws attention to the new arrangements embedded in these relationships, which have profoundly impacted the decision-making processes in conservation, re-shaped the interpretation of heritage values, re-defined the scope of heritage and re-thought the use of heritage in Guangzhou. By employing a case-study approach, this thesis provides a detailed analysis of the conservation efforts undertaken by various stakeholder groups in Guangzhou in the post-reform era. Guangzhou is one of the country’s designated historic cities; it is also the provincial capital of Guangdong and has experienced rapid marketization over the past three decades. Three district-specific cases are selected to provide an in-depth analysis on the changing relationships among concerned stakeholders. The case of Shamian Island demonstrates the rigidity and constraints of central-local relation; while the case of Xinhepu discloses the evolving state-market relation. Finally, the case of Enning Road examines the rise of non-state stakeholders and their power struggle against the state. These cases were selected because each of them covers a particular heritage aspect that is directly related to the three-pronged national conservation hierarchical framework. The findings in the three cases respectively reveal the intricacies of conservation politics: the bureaucratic politics in the management and conservation of designated heritage; the struggle between state and society over what legitimate type of history is considered as “national” history and the maintenance of its local significance; and the operation-cum-conservation of heritage assets by market forces in China’s transitional economy. The findings of this thesis contribute to a broadened understanding of the changing roles and functions of the state, market and civil society in China’s transitional period; thus revealing the major deficiencies in the existing institutional and managerial frameworks for built heritage conservation in Guangzhou. This thesis also documents the impacts and outcomes of the actions of various state and non-state stakeholders on the prospect of built heritage conservation at an urban scale in China. / published_or_final_version / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Community-driven approach to Heritage Conservation has been increasingly discussed internationally. One of the principles in the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas drawn up by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) stated “the participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged.” (ICOMOS 1987) One of the more well-known bottom-up approaches is Machizukuri from Japan. 　　The origin of Machizukuri in Japan largely stems from the desire of local residents to maintain and develop aspects of their living environment that can otherwise be threatened by external forces. The need to voice out on behalf of their own community is often a relatable trait for various communities all around the world. 　　In the case of Machizukuri, its origin was cast in the backdrop of a post-war Japan, where at first glance the entire country seemed to homogeneously focus solely on modernisation and economic development regardless of costs (Siegenthaler 2004, 3). But as the truth revealed, many local communities—far away from the Japan National Government in Tokyo and its consideration when shaping the country’s urban planning scheme of the time—often differ from the opinions of top-down decision makers on how their own neighbourhood should be developed. 　　When this Japanese concept of bottom-up approach first started, the leaders of these organisations were mainly made up of local non-professional residents, contrasting greatly to the conventional decision makers comprised of scholars and bureaucrats—the “traditional elite”. And yet, despite its modest beginning, after decades of development, Machizukuri is seen as a proven method to effectively solve a wide-range of issues in areas such as planning, heritage conservation, and disaster relief. 　　Over time, the Japan National Government gradually accepted the merits of Machizukuri, eventually incorporating it into national planning law. It was evident that local inputs often improved upon planning decisions made by top-down approach, and thereby increased the chance of successful implementation. 　　After several decades, Machizukuri is recognised as a proven bottom-up, community-driven concept that aimed for the improvement of quality of living through the participation of local citizens of Japan. It represents an important development in local politics and urban management in Japan. The recent citizen movement of Hong Kong, since the 1997 Handover, shared similarities to the situation that led to the creation of the Machizukuri movement in Japan at that time. 　　 　　As Machizukuri gradually matures over the past decades, it became fully recognised in Japan and internationally as an effective method to conduct community-driven citizen participation activities. It can be a viable option for Hong Kong to consider as the citizens are exploring bottom-up conservation solutions. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation

This thesis studies aspects of cultural heritage tourism in China. Relevant secondary tourism data in relation to tourist receipts and income generated from tourism activities are provided so as to present the different developmental state of the world and Chinese cultural heritage tourism. The thesis identifies that although many academic tourism researchers have discussed the cultural heritage issues, there is a gap that no English paper is available to identify the differences between current English and Chinese academic tourism studies in relation to cultural heritage issues. Cultural heritage issues studied by the current Chinese academic tourism researchers are limited to the World Heritage Sites inscribed by UNESCO, and local significant cultural heritage sites are left untouched. In this case, the English and Chinese literature in relation to cultural heritage, management and tourism product issues are reviewed and the gap that no English literature is available to discuss the different academic foci is filled. Secondly, a local cultural heritage site, Chen Ancestor's Temple, located in the southern part of China, is selected as the case study so as to challenge the current Chinese cultural heritage tourism study focus. A new direction which advocates the Chinese academic tourism researchers to turn their focus on local significant cultural heritage sites is established. To examine the current cultural heritage tourism in Chen Ancestor's Temple, two research methodologies are employed so as to gather first hand data. Quantitatively, a survey of tourist behaviors--before, during and after visitation of Chen Ancestor's Temple is conducted so as to supplement the statistics available and get to know more about Chen Ancestor's Temple current tourism development. Qualitatively, the in-depth interviews are conducted so as to investigate the issues of five stakeholder groups in relation to the development and management issues of Chen Ancestor's Temple. Themes are identified from the issues concerned by the five stakeholder groups and some recommendations are thus made.In all, this thesis compares the existing cultural heritage tourism literature in English and Chinese so as to advance the overall state of knowledge. The study of Chen Ancestor's Temple makes a further advance by establishing a new direction for Chinese academic tourism scholarship so as to focus towards locally significant cultural heritage sites.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Arizona, 2006.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2004. / Typescript (photocopy). Bibliography: leaves 331-365.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Macquarie University, Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy, Warawara - Dept. of Indigenous Studies, 2005. / Bibliography: p. 248-265. Also available in print form.

"October, 2008." / Prepared for NOAA Coastal Services Center. "List of Preparers: Jerry Rohde [et al.]"--P. 135. Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of St Andrews, January 2008.