Description
Book Synopsis There is a World Heritage Craze in China. China claims to have the longest continuous civilization in the world and is seeking recognition from UNESCO. This book explores three dimensions of the UNESCO World Heritage initiative with particular relevance for China: the universal agenda, the national practices, and the local responses. With a sociological lens, this book offers comprehensive insights into World Heritage, as well as China’s deep social, cultural, and political structures.
Trade Review “This book brings a wealth of information and spirited discussion to a wide readership and could readily be considered for courses on heritage issues in Asia and globally.” • Asian Perspectives
“World Heritage Craze in China makes a unique contribution to Chinese heritage preservation, demonstrating the application and impact of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage and the present state of the art in this area… This monograph challenges the reader and the profession to reconsider Chinese cultural heritage preservation, and its characteristics and relations with politics and society in China.” • Antiquity
“This book makes several important contributions to the heritage literature. It fills a huge gap in the literature and should be required reading for anyone seriously interested in global heritage conservation.” • Diane Barthel-Bouchier, Stony Brook University
“It was an eye-opening journey through the complex pathways of international ‘soft power’ playing out in China’s unique landscape of centralized government power and immensely rich and diverse cultural heritage.” • Pei-Lin Yu, Boise State University
Table of Contents List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. From Relics to Heritage
Chapter 2. From World Heritage to National Solidarity
Chapter 3. Fujian Tulou: From Harmony to Hegemony
Chapter 4. Mount Songshan: From the Center of Sacred Mountains to the “Center of Heaven and Earth”
Chapter 5. The Great Wall: From Ethnic Boundary to Cosmopolitan Memory
Conclusion: World Heritage as Discursive Institution
References
Index
