The China Quarterly

Table of Contents - Volume 210 - 2012  

Articles

Managing Cultural Heritage in China: A View from the Outside*

Luca Zana1 c1 and Sara Bonini Baraldia2

a1 University of Bologna.

a2 University of Bologna. Email: sara.boninibaraldi@unibo.it

Abstract

This article investigates change processes regarding the managerial aspects of organizing cultural heritage activities in China. The focus is not on the historical and artistic meanings of archaeological discoveries in themselves; nor on the technical, scientific and methodological repercussions of conservation and restoration; nor on the evolution of museology per se. Rather, the core of the analysis is on new managerial problems along the “archaeological chain” (archaeological discoveries, restoration, museum definition and public access to cultural heritage) posed by new professional discourse and the overall evolution of the economic and political context. The article is based on field research carried out in Luoyang, Henan province. The micro view adopted (managing practices more than policies), and the unusual access to data (including financial figures on individual entities) represent a unique opportunity for a sort of “journey” inside the Chinese public sector.

Keywords

  • cultural heritage;
  • museum;
  • archaeology;
  • management;
  • practices;
  • heritage chain

Correspondence:

c1 Email: luca.zan@unibo.it (corresponding author)

Luca Zan is professor in arts management, Bologna University, where he launched GIOCA (graduate degree in organization and innovation of culture and the arts). He has done extensive field research at the international level and published in international journals on the management of heritage organizations.

Sara Bonini Baraldi is assistant professor in the department of management, Bologna University. Her research interests focus mainly on the management of cultural heritage, the evolution of cultural professions and change processes of public administration at the international level.

Footnotes

* Though the paper was jointly developed, according to Italian law Luca Zan is responsible for sections 1 and 3, Sara Bonini Baraldi for section 2. It is based on a research project funded by the University of Bologna, Fondazione Carisbo, and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGPC).