Page 71 - JCAU-5-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Chinese troglodyte villages toward tourism

happened in many urban contexts. The tourism market parameters for the classification of all elements included
has stimulated local policies toward adopting practices to in the class and allows both static and dynamic analysis
make places attractive to tourism. However, the mirage of all cases, introducing several criteria also to evaluate
of short-term economic interests related to tourism has historical reuses that can be considered within dedicated
pushed both private owners and local policymakers toward enhancement processes.
unsustainable solutions in terms of physical conservation, With reference to the second methodological step, we
quality of life – that is, availability of services for residents, decided to focus on Chinese yaodong as an expression of
overcrowding, pollution, and safeguarding the sense of the UBH class – Living Space. Case studies were selected
place and cultural memory. based on the following criteria:
In this perspective, the international community (i) Availability of the widest variety of typologies: a
pushes toward models for sustainable development and single village or clusters of interdependent villages in
responsible tourism, respectful of livability and place a contiguous area with historical functions, such as
identity, as recommended by Agenda 2030 for Sustainable rural, commercial, and military/fortified;
Development (Agenda 2030; “Tourism in the 2030 (ii) Selection according to different levels of reuse and
Agenda,” n.d.) and the ICOMOS International Charter enhancement;
for Cultural Heritage Tourism 2022 (ICOMOS, 2022). The (iii) Inspection of all case studies considered during on-site
UNESCO Commission is also proceeding in this direction visits.
in evaluating sites with living heritage connotations to be Regarding the third methodological step, the parameters
included in the Cultural Heritage List. It has recently been considered were as follows: name, GPS coordinates,
demonstrated by the nomination of the Iranian case – above- province, county, date, typology of settlement, typology
mentioned – and by the submission of new candidatures, of geo-architecture, architectural quality, inhabited or
such as for the candidacy of “Cave dwellings and the world not, prevailing economy, historical/cultural/natural
of ksour in southern Tunisia,” in 2020. Nonetheless, each connections in or around the settlement, infrastructural
country is approaching the conservation, recovery, and connections, level of protection, enhancement policies,
enhancement intervention efforts in these settlements on tourism development, promotion, brief description, year
the basis of what it deems most relevant to the interests of of visit, sitography, and references. Then, a systematization
the country itself (i.e., social, economic, etc.). of data was done to allow for subsequent comparative
3. Methodology analysis. Parameters considered were as follows: settlement
typology, presence of historic remains in or around the
The present study introduces a preliminary overview of settlement, level of protection of each site, and type of
a series of reuse strategies for tourism in some Chinese tourism development. With reference to the fourth step, a
cave settlements within the context of an ongoing project. comparative analysis of case studies was carried out.
The research was based on the design of various cases The fifth phase consisted of the discussion of results.
and employed both quantitative and qualitative methods The analysis considers the level of tourism-oriented reuses
of data collection. Documentation and information were adopted in China. It is based on the UBH reuses scale, which
collected during the on-site visits of the corresponding has been recently updated, encompassing interpretation,
phases of the project since 2018 before the COVID-19 protection, abandonment, reuse, and rebuilding. Results
outbreak had started. The methodology adopted in this are contextualized in the scenario of interventions for the
paper was organized into five different stages, according to conservation and revitalization of rural heritage and then
the theoretical approach employed as follows: in the international one.
(i). Adoption of UBH approach to Chinese cultural
heritage; 3.1. Adoption of UBH approach to Chinese cultural
(ii). Selection of Chinese yaodong as case studies; heritage
(iii). Selection and adoption of significant data for the The UBH (Varriale, 2021) theoretical approach is taken as
analysis of case studies; a reference for the study and classification of troglodyte
(iv). Analysis of results from the comparative study; contexts. It considers the elements of cultural heritage that
(v). Discussion of results: Contextualization of Chinese can be included in the newborn homonym class, providing
troglodyte settlements in the national and international several instruments for the functional classification,
scenarios and opportunities for the future.
and the static and dynamic analysis of all those artifacts
Concerning stage one, the UBH (Varriale, 2021) coherent with the given definition while introducing
theoretical approach is taken as a reference. It provides several criteria for their reuse and the evaluation of

Volume 5 Issue 2 (2023) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0940