IN-PERSON: Prague – Section B

Abstract

Ecomuseums are described as community-led heritages or museum projects that support sustainable development and an important model for promoting the relationship among tourism, heritage, and local development. Tang’an Dong Village, in Guizhou, China, is an ecomuseum with a unique and diverse range of heritage resources including the Grand Song of the Dong ethnicity, and the traditional Dong farming “Rice-Fish-Duck System”. However, without convenient transportation as located in the mountainous rural area, Tang’an lacks development opportunities and faces economic difficulties. In such an underdeveloped place with world-class heritage resources, heritage tourism has evolved into an ‘inevitable’ local development option. But inadequate heritage management policies, insufficient community participation, and economic concerns have hindered the sustainability of the heritage. Based on a 6-month fieldwork with data collected from participant observation and semi-structured interviews, the study aims to critically assess how Tang’an as an ecomuseum can dually support heritage management and economic development in the context of heritage tourism and thus provide clues to the sustainable development of local communities and how the ecomuseum concept can enhance community participation and promote local identity to shape and maintain the landscape of the Dong community. Tang’an is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation in its relationship with the ‘outside’ world, with social changes already significantly affecting local economic development, heritage resources and community. The principles of ecomuseology also emphasise heritage interpretation with a focus on continuity and change, and in this context communities and other stakeholders are guided to better manage heritage in areas that continue to undergo significant change.