The revitalization of Zhizhu Temple

Tam, Lui ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3159-6006 2025. The revitalization of Zhizhu Temple. Maags, Christina and Svenson, Marina, eds. Chinese Heritage in the Making: Experiences, Negotiations and Contestations, Routledge, pp. 245-265. (10.5117/9789462983694/CH10)

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Abstract

This chapter discusses a case of a heated public debate on heritage conservation that revealed a power asymmetry in heritage conservation among various actors. It focuses on the revitalization of the Zhizhu Temple in Beijing, which suffered from years of neglect since its secularization in 1949. A company leased the temple in 2007 and started renovating it, with the aim to turn it into an upmarket recreation venue and art gallery. The renovation earned a UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards of Cultural Heritage Conservation in 2012. Criticism was, however, voiced over the fact that a former temple was being used as a ‘private club’. The debate illustrates both complex and unclear regulations and different views among various actors on how to preserve and reuse heritage sites.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Architecture
Publisher:	Routledge
ISBN:	9781003692379
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	10 December 2025
Last Modified:	10 Dec 2025 11:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/183086

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