[Publication] Building homeland heritage: multiple homes among the Chinese diaspora and the politics on heritage management in China

Hiu Ling Chan and Christopher Cheng, MPhil graduates of our department in 2012, have recently published a co-authored paper in the International Journal of Heritage Studies. The paper, entitled “Building Homeland Heritage: Multiple Homes among the Chinese Diaspora and the Politics on Heritage Management in China”, is based on Chan’s MPhil research “Building ‘Tang Heritage’: The Wuli Mausoleum and its Transregional Connections” under the supervision of Prof. Tracey Lu. 

Hiu Ling's and Christoper's article on Taylor & Francis Online

Abstract of the paper:

"Community involvement is arguably a key component behind sustainable heritage management. Under strict government control, however, local community-led initiatives are difficult to find in China. Nonetheless, through remittances and philanthropic contributions to their respective communities, the Chinese diaspora have long been seen as an important source of foreign capital and a driving force behind homeland development. A transregional study (mainland China, Hong Kong and Canada) was carried out to explore the relationship between local communities in China and the diaspora, how each party was involved (or not) and the factors that affect their engagement in a government-initiated clanship heritage project in post-reform China. Investigating how different ‘associated people’ perceive, construct and even manipulate heritage, this study found that participation is not only related to wealth, success or status, but also to residential orientations, self-perceptions of the motherland and notions of authentic and/or symbolic roots. The study offers insight into the nature and politics of heritage management in contemporary China. Furthermore, it contributes to our understanding of how multiple homes can affect diasporic interpretations of, and connections with, the homeland."

For more information, please visit http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13527258.2015.1068211#abstract.