Identifying the role of intangible cultural heritage in distinguishing cities: A social media study of heritage, place, and sense in Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Modern cities are facing an identity crisis, and planners are seeking solutions by highlighting differences between cities. Intangible cultural heritage (ICH), which provides a ‘cultural soul’, can create featured places and specific senses in a city. Based on place making and destination image theorizations, this paper used the Chinese city of Guangzhou as a case to reveal how ICH qualities can contribute to the distinctiveness of a city destination. This assessment uncovered several key themes: 1) ICH, as recognized by tourists, encompasses six elements and seventeen subelements; 2) ICH's importance and popularity are apparent when it accompanies most tourist destinations; 3) ICH enhances places’ roles in relation to cultural heritage, especially that directly tied to ICH, whereas modern places seem marginalized in semantic networks; 4) the sense of an entire city shows a significant linear positive correlation with sense of place from ICH; and 5) ICH-based perceptions enrich the diversity of travel experiences and reduce negative impressions of a city. These findings confirm ICH's role in solving the ‘placelessness’ problem and in creating a positive, unique sense of place.