Local state adaptation and grassroots participation: Tianjin and Nanjing’s preservation of cultural relics in comparative aspects

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Governance of cultural relics preservation and cultural industry in China have become focal points of academic interests in recent years.Purpose: This article adopts the case of Tianjin and Nanjing to study how the local states balance market incentives and values of preservation, and adapt to new institutional frameworks and social environment in China.Main Arguments: The authors argue that cultural preservation is a process of adaption and learning for both local state and society. This article tries to figure out the new mechanism and actors involved in the process of continuity and change in local China. The local states have learned to cope more subtly with social demands and are now more responsive to the outbreak of new events and social demands through various channels. The cultural elite also search for ways to strike a win–win solution to bridge the interests of various stakeholders. But the law enforcement and policy implementations are still full of confusion and calculation.Conclusion: The authors argue that in order to consolidate the local capacity building, formation of a grass-roots identity will lay the long-term foundation for autonomous mechanism of collaborative governance in cultural relics preservation in China.