Authenticity and Heritage Conservation in China: Translation, Interpretation, Practices

Abstract

The examination of the value of authenticity, the interpretation of the term, and the consequences for heritage conservation practices in China have followed a trend that is both global and local. The existence of two translations of authenticity has documented two understandings of what heritage conservation in China is concerned with: the conservation or recreation of an 'original state' - understood as a building's original form - or the preservation of the present form including different stages of a structure's building history. The Chinese conservation scene has attempted to define its own authenticity criteria through learning from both its history of restoration and from international principles. Defense of the principle of 'restoring the old as it was' needs to be considered, as well as the attempt to preserve a site's 'historic condition', including different stages of its history. The quest for authenticity has taken on a dynamic and diversified form through local economic, social and cultural development. The juxtaposition of different value systems on heritage conservation in the process of globalisation and modernisation in China repeatedly leads back to diverse Chinese practices.