Page 22 - JCAU-6-4

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Residents’ perspectives on the efficacy of

government strategies for urban heritage
conservation in Guancheng District, Zhengzhou,

Henan, China

Zichen Ke* , and Muhizam Mustafa
School of The Arts, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Gelugor, Penang, Malaysia
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Toward Urban-rural Integration: Theoretical and Practical
Innovations in China)

Abstract

Urban cultural heritage conservation in China, mainly driven by top-down
management, heavily relies on national leadership. However, there is a lack of
systematic research investigating residents’ perspectives on the effectiveness of
Chinese government conservation strategies. Taking the Guancheng district in
Zhengzhou, Henan, China, as a case study, this study employs a mixed-method
*Corresponding author: approach, combining qualitative analysis through semi-structured interviews
Zichen Ke with 15 participants and quantitative analysis from a survey of 294 respondents.
(kezichen@student.usm.my)
It aims to assess the impact and outreach of the local government conservation
Citation: Ke, Z., & Mustafa, M. strategies. The findings reveal limited public interest and awareness regarding the
(2024). Residents’ perspectives
on the efficacy of government government’s efforts to conserve Guancheng’s heritage sites. To support these
strategies for urban heritage conservation initiatives, this study proposes strategies to foster public participation,
conservation in Guancheng District, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness and sustainability of urban cultural heritage
Zhengzhou, Henan, China. Journal conservation in China. The insights from this case study may serve as a guiding
of Chinese Architecture and
Urbanism, 6(4), 3421. reference for similar initiatives in other cities or districts across the country.
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3421
Received: April 13, 2024 Keywords: Urban heritage conservation; Cultural heritage sites; Public participation;
Accepted: July 16, 2024 Guancheng; China
Published Online: September 24,
2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). 1. Introduction
This is an open-access article
distributed under the terms of the The World Heritage Convention (November 23, 1972) classifies cultural heritage into
Creative Commons Attribution-
Non-Commercial 4.0 International three types: monuments, groups of buildings, and sites. UNESCO later expanded the
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all definition of heritage to include not only monuments and building complexes but also
non-commercial use, distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, areas and sites of outstanding universal value (UNESCO, 1972a; UNESCO, 1972b). This
provided the original work is broader definition helps to incorporate a wider range of sociocultural values into the
properly cited. recognition and protection of cultural assets. The Faro Convention (October 27, 2005)
Publisher’s Note: AccScience further underscores that cultural heritage protection extends beyond mere preservation;
Publishing remains neutral with it also involves fostering interactions between communities and their heritage to
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional cultivate a sense of place and belonging (Council of Europe, 2005). This approach not
affiliations. only safeguards cultural assets but also fortifies community bonds, collective identity,

Volume 6 Issue 4 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3421