Listing Villages for Conservation: Practices and Impacts of the Village Conservation Project in China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Due to the rapid destruction and disappearance of villages caused by mass urbanisation in China over the past decades, the Chinese government launched in the 1990s a nationwide ‘village conservation project.’ Villages are officially viewed as a fundamental component of Chinese society, integrating essential elements of Chinese heritage and culture. Consequently, the government has created multiple officially recognised lists to restore, protect, and showcase traditional villages, such as wenwu baohu danwei (cultural relics protection units), lishi wenhua mingcun (historical and cultural villages), chuantong cunluo (traditional villages), xiangcun lvyou zhongdiancun (rural tourism key villages), and meili yiju cunzhuang (beautiful and livable villages). By examining the implementation process of this ‘village conservation project’, this study reveals the motivations and impacts of the Chinese government’s efforts in listing villages for conservation and development. This study contributes to museum and heritage studies by providing a lens for understanding the conservation practices in rural areas in China.