Reflection Of "Authorized Heritage Discourse" And Its Localization In China

A scholar Smith proposed that there is "Authorized Heritage Discourse"(AHD)in the West which dominates the ways of identifying and thinking about heritage.It originated in Europe in the late 19th century and evolved from the conservation theory of Britain and France.After the reform and opening-up,western theories were introduced into China,and the conservation of heritage site in China was,to a certain extent,enslaved by Western discourse,resulting that local discourse has not been well developed.In addition,due to various reasons,indigenous people have encountered problems such as misunderstanding when they learned and applied western theories.The aim of the thesis is firstly to clarify the truth of AHD and to eliminate misinterpretation and misunderstanding.Secondly,based on the context of traditional Chinese heritage,local discourse and thoughts are applied to represent and interpret AHD.The thesis tries to make a preliminary attempt in the localization of western discourse and the modernization of indigenous discourse in order to provide support for the values and theory of heritage conservation rooted in the local context of China and guide the practice of cultural heritage conservation.AHD is very complex,therefore,it is proposed to carry out the research through the selection of a number of theme words.The selected theme words are:conservation object class:monument,heritage,etc.;the description of the conservation object class:value,interest,etc.;the treatment of the conservation object class:conservation,restoration,interpretation,etc.;indicators of the conservation object:authenticity,integrity and so on.The relevant French theme words are not listed here.The frame of the dissertation is mainly based on the classification of the keywords.The four types of keywords correspond to the four chapters respectively which are the core content of the dissertation.Each chapter includes the reflection of keywords and their localization in China.From the perspective of research content and innovation,it can be divided into three aspects:First,to verify and clarify the semantic evolution of AHD keywords,and explore the historical and cultural factors,operational logic,value system and way of thinking behind them.Second,to explore the process of localization of AHD in China and to criticize the phenomenon of misinterpretation,misreading and obedience to AHD.And then,based on the local context and traditional discourses,the strategies are explored to deal with the AHD,such as the localization of Western discourse and the modernization of local traditional discourse.One of the important conclusions of the dissertation is that the profound connotation of traditional discourse in china is absolutely not inferior to the West.We should have such a cultural self-confidence,and then we should hold a critical attitude towards western discourse.For the content of AHD,the conclusions and inspirations come from the research of keywords,conservation object,value and indicator.One of the important conclusions is that conservation is a critical process and it is a process of recognizing,responding to and managing change.Massive and continuous research,critical analysis of specific issues,and proper control of changes are the things we should learn from most.