IN-PERSON ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)

Abstract

Digital heritage has emerged as an increasingly common approach to the interpretation, management, and preservation of World Heritage sites. However, its implementation inevitably shapes, and is shaped by, complex socio-technical dynamics including power distribution and identity shifts among participants. As the country with the second most World Heritage sites, China has strategically invested considerable resources in the application and the digitization of World heritage sites, focusing on heritage management, tourism, and conservation. The Beijing Central Axis, inscribed as a World Heritage site in 2024, demonstrates an outstanding example showcasing the harmony of site selection and spatial frameworks of a capital city over centuries. Through the efforts of various levels of the Beijing government and the Beijing Central Axis Conservation Center, the digitization of the Beijing Central Axis has been underway for decades, employing specific approaches such as laser scanning-based modeling and the development of a digital monitoring and protection platform. Based on interviews with the heritage managers of Beijing Central Axis Cultural Heritage and tracking the public participation in inspection activities of heritage properties in Beijing Central Axis – the “Digital Watchman” project, this paper reveals the power distribution and identity shifts of participants within this digitization process. The state-led technocratic system centralizes decision-making via the digital twin platform, while grassroots participants contribute through volunteering on-site practices, resulting in the reappropriation of heritage discourse and conflicts between national and grassroots digital discourse. Contextualizing these practices within China’s World Heritage management system, this paper contributes a critical understanding of the driving factors behind digitization, revealing the inherent tensions and collaborations that shape heritage preservation in the digital age.