Cultural Heritage in China. Cultural Policies, Professional Discourse and the Issue of Managing

Abstract

China has experienced an exceptional process of transformation in the last thirty years, at all possible levels. Some of the most important changes are here recalled (general political change, administrative reforms, professionalism, economic development, cultural policy) to outline the context characterizing change processes in the cultural heritage field. Working on the notion of Heritage Chain, possible impacts of this context on activities within the heritage chain are then investigated in terms of preservation, archaeological excavation, conservation, research, museums and sites access.