Local community narratives on world cultural heritage: a case study of Quanzhou, China

Abstract

This case study explores local community’s narrative of Quanzhou’s UNESCO World Heritage status, based on interviews with 37 residents. Interview data was collected through 7 questions and analysed using grounded theory, identifying 42 primary concepts, which were organised into 3 core categories: European Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD), Chinese Authorised Heritage Discourse (AHD), and local counter-discourse, touching upon 4 topics: Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), qualification, influence and tourism. The findings reveal the interplay between global, national, and local counter-discourses in shaping perceptions of local residents. It is found that European AHD frames local perceptions with concepts like authenticity and integrity, museum-style and expert-driven heritage management; and Chinese AHD constructs national identity and pride through narratives of the Maritime Silk Road and cultural coexistence. Despite embracing these narratives, residents assert their agency by voicing concerns about daily life, local memory, and non-heritage culture, critically reflecting on authenticity, OUV and the relationship between heritage, tourism and life.