Mapping the Chinese Heritage Regime: Ruptures, Governmentality, and Agency

The chapter introduces the reader to the edited volume. It explores cultural heritage policy and practice in China by making use of concepts and theories from both heritage studies and China studies. Reviewing the state of the art, there is a need to examine the development of the Chinese authorized heritage discourse as a tool of governmentality against the backdrop of local contestations, negotiations and appropriation. The chapter familiarizes the reader with the various sections of the book which draw attention to the plurality of local forms of contestations unfolding in a bottom-up manner