Problems and prospects of the conservation of the Grand Canal in China : a case study of the Hangzhou section

Abstract

Conserving the Grand Canal has been a challenging task even before it was given a World Heritage designation. Although there is growing attention on protecting canal heritage in China, the country still lacks appropriate evaluation system and conservation principles for this particular type of heritage asset. Due to rapid socio-economic development in recent years, many conservation problems have emerged and they have inflicted damage to the Grand Canal. China has formulated a hierarchical planning system for the conservation of the Grand Canal, with the guidance of international heritage conservation principles. Yet, the heritage managers have difficulties in coordinating different levels of authorities, especially when they attempted to implement conservation strategies at the municipal level. This dissertation focuses on the current conservation strategies of the Hangzhou Section of the Grand Canal, and investigates the reasons for the emergence of the problems in conserving this asset. In particular, Hangzhou has adopted a new joint governance structure to guide canal conservation work. Despite its effectiveness in tackling the problem of canal water pollution, it has a poor record in dealing with other complex social problems. A conceptual framework of authorized heritage discourse is applied in this research to understand the phenomenon. It analyzes the consequences of dominant Western heritage values, exemplified by the UNESCO evaluation system, as well as the consequences of the Chinese government’s tendency to impose strict control on canal conservation projects. It argues that the existing hegemonic conservation approaches have failed to sustain Chinese cultural tradition and bring out the uniqueness of the Grand Canal. In addition, local heritage managers tend to focus more on reaping the economic benefits of the heritage site rather than conserving it for sustainability purposes. This dissertation suggests establishing an indigenous heritage discourse to assist heritage managers concerned with China’s canal heritage conservation and advocates a greater level of public participation in heritage conservation and management.