Reframing Cultural Heritage Policy Through Place-Based Perspectives: The Evolution of China’s ICH Governance Amid Historical Continuity and Global Convergence

Jing Li (), Xiangling Wu and Yanan Du
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Jing Li: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Xiangling Wu: School of Political Science and Public Administration, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Yanan Du: School of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: This study explores the evolution of China’s intangible cultural heritage (ICH) governance through the lens of discursive institutionalism, with a specific focus on how institutional discourse and arrangements shape the spatial configuration and symbolic meaning of ICH-related landscapes. By analyzing policy discourse, governance actors, resource mobilization, and regulatory mechanisms, the study traces the transition from community-led practices to increasingly formalized and spatialized systems under the influence of the 2003 UNESCO Convention. Drawing on a combination of historical policy analysis and place-specific institutional insights, the research finds that while institutional reforms have enhanced administrative coherence and international alignment, they have also at times disrupted vernacular meanings and weakened residents’ place-based cultural attachments. Conversely, localized revitalization initiatives can foster community resilience and landscape justice. These findings are derived from an interpretive synthesis of institutional trajectories and spatial governance practices. Overall, the study contributes to the theoretical integration of discursive institutionalism and cultural geography, offering new insights into heritage governance and sustainable cultural planning in rapidly urbanizing contexts.

Keywords: intangible cultural heritage (ICH); cultural policy change; discursive institutionalism; place-based governance; heritage landscape planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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