Heritage Politics in China: Identity, Governance and Reconfigured Pasts

Abstract:

Heritage has become a powerful instrument in shaping national governance and local identity in modern China. From imperial palaces and archaeological discoveries to ethnic traditions and Confucian classics, both material and intangible aspects of the past are strategically repurposed for political, developmental, and diplomatic purposes. This talk investigates how narratives from China's ancient civilisations and more recent Communist revolutionary and wartime memories are mobilised for identity construction and cultural governance. Museums, as central sites for public engagement, play a key role in negotiating these historical narratives, while digital platforms and educational tourism further extend heritage’s influence, particularly among younger generations. By examining these processes, this talk situates China’s heritage practices within the larger framework of modernisation and nation-building, revealing how heritage is both a reflection of and a driving force in contemporary governance and identity formation.

Bio:

Yujie Zhu is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Heritage and Museum Studies at the Australian National University in Australia. He is currently a visiting fellow at the Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany. Yujie obtained his Ph.D. in anthropology from Heidelberg University, Germany. His research focuses on the cultural politics of the past within diverse heritage and memory spaces in China. He is the author and editor of 8 books, including recent monograph China’s Heritage through History (Routledge, 2024), Heritage Tourism (Cambridge, 2021), Heritage Politics in China (Routledge, 2020), and Heritage and Romantic Consumption in China (Amsterdam, 2018). He served as the vice-president of the International Association of Critical Heritage Studies (2014-2020), and Deputy-chair of Anthropology Tourism Committee of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (2013-2021).

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