Abstract

In the twenty-first century the Chinese economy has seen rapid development and massive social transformation. A central dilemma of the Chinese state is to ensure economic growth together with sustainable development, preservation of the environment, and transmission of China’s ancient cultural heritage. This book focuses on attempts at the local level to preserve both cultural and ecological heritage in a number of key regions such as Sichuan, Inner Mongolia, Guilin, and the lower Yangzi delta. Topics covered include conservation zones managed by ethnic minorities; concepts of the “sacred” as they relate to ecological management, tourism and ecological preservation, folk ecologies as reflected in oral culture, and the impact of state policies and globalized heritage norms. The authors are experts in environmental management, ethno-linguistics, ethnomusicology and orality studies, with extensive experience of fieldwork and developmental programs in regional China. This work will be appreciated by those with a specialist interest in heritage and environmental studies in Asia and of benefit to students of contemporary China, environmental issues in Asia, and cultural heritage in Asian contexts.