Without yellow leaves, there can be no autumn. Ruins are the yellow leaves of a building. People say that the purpose of yellow leaves is…

Introduction An abandoned coal town: Kouquan Located on Datong’s outskirts, Kouquan Town used to be an important coal centre, surrounded by mines and miners’ settlements….

Introduction This article is a reflection on urban ruins, fieldwork, and photography. In line with this special issue, its purpose is to explore how these…

Introduction – Following Chinese children far from urban centres: The trail of ruins There exist many areas in China today characterised by their decaying buildings,…

Beyond the exceptional lens: Ruination and the shaping of ordinary spaces in China Urban ruins constitute ubiquitous spaces in contemporary China: from neighbourhoods and areas…

Introduction China has been very active in the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage (ICH hereafter) since the ratification of UNESCO’s Convention for the Safeguarding of…

Introduction Through the standardisation of styles, the study of past models, and the theorisation of gesture, from medieval times to present, the “classical tradition” of…

Introduction The sacred landscape of Inner Asia is constituted, among other elements, by holy cairns called oboo. Built on the top of mountains and hills…

Introduction Can traditional cultural practices thrive if they are commercialised? Or should the state protect them from “the market”? This debate has been at the…

Cultural Values in the Making: Governing through Intangible Heritage Integral to the emergence of any modern state, the preservation of the traces of national past…