VIRTUAL ISTANBUL HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
This paper analyses the evolving administrative, policy, and heritage narratives surrounding the Mogao Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in China. Despite the site’s growing recognition, its development has been consistently influenced by its peripheral location and its position at the border between multi-ethnic communities and the dominant Han culture as the mainstream culture of China. The study criticises top-down policies that overlook the existing on-site governance and conservation efforts before transforming the site from a community space into one heavily defined by external and professional interventions that affect its sense of place, which is most important to local residents’ perception of the site. Through qualitative fieldwork—including interviews and local narratives—this paper documents a historically rooted relationship among locally based practitioners, residents, and the site, which predates global heritage initiatives since the 1980s. Findings reveal tensions stemming from conservation strategies that prioritize material preservation over socio-cultural development, often marginalising local narratives and knowledge. These changes in on-site heritage approaches influence local perceptions of heritage and the site’s sustainability through a diminishing community participation within evolving governance. The study emphasises the importance of integrating local perspectives and long-term views into heritage policy. It provides insights for managing peripheral World Heritage sites globally and warns that policy implementations can marginalise on-site heritage practitioners, who can be both local guardians and agents contributing to the erosion of everyday cultural meanings under various top-down agendas.
Chang Guo: I am a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Birmingham’s International Heritage Centre, researching the impact of World Heritage planning on communities, focusing on the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China. I also serve as an academic writing tutor for undergraduate and postgraduate students at Birmingham’s Arts and Law College and specialise in history and culture education. Additionally, I work as a course lead for interdisciplinary heritage studies at a Chinese academic consulting firm. My primary field experience includes fieldwork and internships at the Dunhuang Academy.