Page 68 - JCAU-7-3

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Creative heritage and experiential tourism

Charter (1964) in particular, would provide a generally Nyíri, 2006; Ryckmans, 2008). In China, the materiality
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and internationally adopted framework for heritage of heritage is treated less fastidiously than in European
interventions. Obviously, this is not the case. Not only countries, where traditions of restoration and conservation
do interventions vary from one country to another, but have been established since the 19 century. Approaches to
th
sometimes, even in the same political and geographical the restoration and redevelopment of heritage in relation
context, they can differ significantly. In this sense, restoring to new functions (e.g., tourism, leisure) are particularly
a building is, implicitly or explicitly, an act of architecture. interesting to study (Gravari-Barbas, 2018), a fortiori in
Architect-restorers can adopt a range of approaches, the case of dissonant heritage.
from striving to restore a building “exactly as it was” (a term 2.1.4. Creative developments in China: Paradigm
that is in itself disputed, since, in reality, it is impossible to circulation and local interpretations
reproduce an identical structure using the same materials
and techniques) to utilizing heritage as a “substrate” for the The overall success of the creative paradigm should not
creation of new architectural forms or styles. conceal its conceptual ambiguity, prescriptive nature, and
normative dimensions (Peck, 2005), as seen in the work of
Several factors may determine the choice of a restoration Richard Florida (Florida, 2004). According to Kong (2009,
or conservation project adopted, ranging from absolute p. 2), the “policy scenario” of creativity considers that to
respect for the “original” state of the building to its total compete in the new creative economy, “cities should seek
reinvention. Two of these factors are of particular interest to implement specific initiatives such as fostering creative
in the context of this article: the motivations of those industry clusters, incubating learning and knowledge
commissioning the restoration and the intended functions economies, optimizing networks with other successful
of the building post-restoration. places and companies, valuing and rewarding innovation,
The first factor relates to the political intentions of the and aggressively campaigning to attract the creative
commissioners: What message do they seek to convey? class.” This “policy scenario” of the Western creative city
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What is the aim of the conservation or restoration project? has recently been adopted by municipal leaders in China
The second factor pertains to the liberties that private (Tan et al., 2013). However, the normative approach to
players, in particular, can take depending on the project the creative class tends to overlook the cultural values and
for which they are developing the restored buildings: not practices inherent to a place. As Wang (2004) reminds
only must these buildings be adapted to accommodate new us, the success of the creative industries sector depends
functions (which implies creating new spaces, new access heavily on the socioeconomic opportunities available to
points, or compliance with public accessibility regulations), small businesses, allowing them to develop organically
but they must also be adapted to accommodate the new and in a bottom-up manner. These small companies are
function. Buildings restored by the private sector for characterized by horizontal hierarchies and the clustering
tourism-related purposes can sometimes become the of independent, daring, and forward-thinking producers.
subject of fantasy-driven or playful interventions, or even The relevance of the creative industries concept to mainland
the creation of architectural simulacra (Graburn et al., China needs to be relativized since it implies the existence of
2021; Gravari-Barbas et al., 2020). a free-market economy that takes competition, intellectual
property rights, and the existence of a commercial cultural
Some restoration projects, particularly those aimed at industries sector for granted.
accommodating tourism functions – or even integrating
restored heritage as a central element of a destination’s Yet, despite this apparent paradox, which places the
tourism policy – do not hesitate to take liberties with creative industries paradigm within a specific context, the
heritage, using it as a creative medium. concept of creativity has enjoyed notable success in China.
Several cases of restoration in China, in particular, China and its public authorities have rapidly adopted
demonstrate that heritage restoration is not always carried discourses on cultural and creative industries and related
out in accordance with the principles of authenticity and policies (O’Connor & Xin, 2006), moving from “made
integrity promoted by the Venice Charter. Instead, there is in China” to “created in China” (Keane, 2007). As Qiang
often a margin of freedom and interpretation (Hevia, 2001; and Kovacs (2021b) have shown in their study of creative
tourism in China, looking at 14 UNESCO-designated
5 The Venice Charter. The International Council on creative cities, while creative tourism is often depicted as
Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). International Charter for tourists actively taking part in creative activities, passive
the Conservation and Restoration of Monuments and Sites activities, and experiences are equally important. For
(Venise Charter, 1964), Available at: https://www.icomos. instance, sightseeing is one of the most direct and general
org/en/participer/179-articles-en-francais/ressources/
charters-and-standards/157-thevenice-charter 6 Kong, 2009, p.2, translated by the authors.

Volume 7 Issue 3 (2025) 4 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.3703