Page 44 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Top-down rural heritage

Figure 5. Wooden plaque used for worshipping Kangwang. Source: Photo
by the authors (2024)

Deity parades and temple festivals in southern China
reflect the evolution of community boundaries. For
example, on Cheung Chau Island in Hong Kong SAR,
China, the parade route was shaped by interactions among
the colonial government, local clans, and religious groups
(Ma, 2022). Similarly, the Kangwang Festival parade route
in Tangwei village has expanded beyond the historical
village walls to include the residential areas of Dongcun
and Xicun and a nearby commercial street. According
to an artist involved in the parade, the inclusion of the
Figure 4. Statue of Kangwang. Source: Photo by the authors (2024) commercial street serves as a deliberate attempt to align
with a developer’s goal of leveraging folk activities to
Center, 2018). Almost all villagers are now members of increase foot traffic to this key commercial project.
the society, indicating a centralization of local power
and a shift away from the festival’s traditional role as Although many villagers actively participate in the
a community platform for local power dynamics. The festival’s sacrificial duties, the vast majority of them no
contemporary iteration of the festival has been transformed longer reside within the village. Instead, they live in newer
into a celebratory deity parade, retaining its primary forms residential areas outside the historic core, whereas some
but omitting many details (Figure 5). The village records older houses with lower architectural value have been
focus primarily on the Kangwang Festival during the Qing rented out to new residents. During the Kangwang Festival
dynasty and the Republic of China era (1912 – 1949), parade, these “new villagers” are included in the festival,
offering little elaboration on its current evolution. effectively “legitimizing” and “standardizing” their roles
within the village community. The interviewed artist even
Today, the Kangwang Festival has been reimagined by noted that he was allowed to carry the statue of Kangwang
village and town representatives as a tool for promoting in the parade, despite not being a native villager. Therefore,
rural tourism. It has become a symbol of the village’s the Kangwang Festival’s role as a representation of the
historical continuity and cultural richness. While the village’s traditions and regional boundaries has become
festival retains its “authentic” folk activities – such as increasingly ambiguous.
Kangwang’s Parade, Festival Blessing, and the Thousand
People Banquet – new cultural elements with limited In 2022, the Guangdong Provincial Government
ties to the festival’s folklore have been introduced. These launched the Hundred Counties, Thousand Towns, Ten
elements include guzheng (古筝; Chinese plucked zither) Thousand Villages High-quality Development Project,
performances, tai chi demonstrations, calligraphy, and commonly referred to as the Hundred-Thousand-Ten
photography exhibitions. In addition, a food festival Thousand Project, to promote rural revitalization. To align
outside the village showcases agricultural products, local with the project’s economic and tourism-related goals,
delicacies, and handicrafts. Evidently, the motivation for localities across the province have been actively exploring
holding the Kangwang Festival extends beyond preserving suitable development strategies for towns and villages.
folk traditions to attracting villagers and tourists, achieving In Tangwei village, all the calligraphy couplets adorning
rural revitalization through tourism. its historical buildings were created by Huang Tong, a

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 7 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.5029