Preserving Culture and People: Aesthetics of Authenticity in the Rebuilding of Chinese Heritage

Abstract

Preservation is a field of study that spans across several disciplines and fields. Architecture, history, art, and environmental studies all deal with the questions that preservation raises. Hutongs, narrow alleyways that traditionally have mapped out many northern Chinese cities, have in the past century faced destruction and neglect, prompting the municipal government of Beijing, the national government of China, and international communities to respond and research the question of how to approach them. On one hand, the issue of national identity in China’s turbulent history throughout the 20th century led to an increasing interest in conceptualizing and preserving national heritage, such as through preserving architecture, land, and existing natural spaces. On the other hand, preservation can never stray from the residents who still live in hutong areas. How does one preserve architecture that is so tied to its living community? Preservation is often seen and written as being based on authenticity. However, authenticity is a notion that is different between Western and non-Western contexts, being based on a lack of change in Western philosophy, antithetical to Chinese philosophies that encourage change. Through investigating the different ways and philosophies that preservation and notions of authenticity in Western and Chinese cultures have developed, this thesis analyzes the areas of slippage between these different conceptions. Ultimately, this thesis argues for flexible, change-based preservation applicable to architectural and environmental preservation, addressing relationships and community first and foremost, and seeking more sustainable practices in the future preservation of hutongs and hutong land.