Research On The Safeguarding Of Intangible Cultural Heritage In The Context Of Urban Renewal

Cities can be seen as dynamic organisms within the sphere of human and social activities, and the metabolic process of these huge organisms becomes what is known as urban renewal. On one hand, urban renewal encompasses the modification, removal, maintenance and reconstruction of urban infrastructure; on the other hand, it includes environmental improvement and protection, the continuation and re-interpretation of history and culture. Urban renewal has been viewed as an inevitable mechanism in the developmental process of a city. Intangible cultural heritage that exists in the urban space often follows a repeated pattern of booms and busts in the renewal process of urban development. For a long time, much attention has been paid to city infrastructure upgrades that often involve mass demolition of structures and relocation of businesses and residents. However, there has been a lack of emphasis on the cultural and historical inheritance in urban spaces, areas of which that hold enormous value and significance. In recent years, despite increasing awareness of historical and cultural heritage sites that include historic structures, ancient city walls and temples, there are indications that only limited importance has been attached to the conservation of intangible cultural heritage. Non-material cultural heritages are important cultural gems which can evoke fond memories of urban culture, increase cultural self-awareness among urban dwellers and seek to allay concerns over the cultural decay many cities have experienced in the process of urban renewal. The emphasis on the preservation of intangible cultural heritage in the context of urban renewal and the need for concerted and coordinated efforts to renew both materialistic and cultural value of urban space are in alignment with the direction of city development.This paper begins by outlining the research background and the current state of research on intangible cultural heritage conservation in the broader context of urban renewal, followed by a discussion of the literature review, theoretical and conceptual framework of the subject. Next, this paper points out that it is an indisputable fact that material-centered revitalization will be replaced by less-materialized cultural inheritance activities by examining the relationships between urban renewal and the protection of cultural heritage. The author further notes that it undercuts the social basis upon which intangible cultural heritage was formed and that it narrows the channel through which these heritage were being carried. Safeguarding intangible cultural heritage is an integral requirement to revitalize our urban public spaces. In addition to giving cities distinctive features and burnishing their image, the preservation and conservation of intangible cultural heritage is instrumental in speeding up cultural renewal and transformation of urban spaces. This paper also includes case studies of exemplary urban renewal projects in Venice, Kanazawa and Fujian province to demonstrate the crucial role of intangible cultural heritage protection in preserving the characteristics of urban spaces and in developing eco-cities that unify both material and spiritual realities. In the final part, this paper focuses on the case study of Jiang Xin Yuan residential community in the city of Wuhan. Jiang Xin Yuan exemplifies how a successful community with a high degree of economic wealth and cultural awareness was built by devoting itself to the protection and conservation of over a dozen of intangible cultural heritage projects across the Jing Chu and Gao Long areas. Communities are like individual cells that constitute a city. Similarly, the renewal process of a community is a microcosm of urban revitalization. By drawing on the findings from summary and analysis of case studies, the paper proposes new approaches and methods regarding the developmental interaction between intangible cultural heritage protection and urban renewal in hopes that research contributions can be made.