Construction and Application of a System for Assessing the Value of Non-World Heritage Tulou in Pinghe County, Fujian Province, Based on the Analytic-hierarchy Process

Abstract

China's Fujian tulou represent a valuable source of human heritage. With the exception of 46 tulou designated as World Heritage sites by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the tulou in Pinghe county, Zhangzhou city, which are classified among more than 3,600 non-World Heritage tulou, are the most representative of southern Fujian culture. However, as the Pinghe tulou have not been classified as World Heritage Sites by the World Heritage Committee, they lack financial support, receive minimal attention and have undergone little effective reconstruction. As a result, they are subject to structural deterioration. The goal of this article is to provide grounds for the functional repositioning of tulou by constructing an appropriate system for evaluating tulou in Pinghe county, based on the analysis of relevant factors such as value, location and material conditions. First, the general conditions and architectural characteristics of the Pinghe tulou are analysed, and their value composition is summarised. Next, a system for assessing the value of the tulou is developed, with rigorous use of the analytic-hierarchy process, the expert-scoring method and matrix calculation. Next, case studies of tulou in the town of Jiufeng, Pinghe county are outlined to illustrate opportunities to repurpose tulou through renovation. The aim of this article is to report on the construction of a system for assessing the value of tulou, thereby facilitating efforts to conserve and repurpose the Pinghe tulou and contributing to related research on the conservation and reconstruction of the Fujian tulou.