Global conference discusses urban heritage in era of flux

Nearly 90 scholars, practitioners, and policymakers gathered at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) from 29 to 30 August to discuss preserving, producing and reimagining urban heritage in a rapidly changing world.

Attendees from institutions including Tsinghua University, The Australian National University, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Liverpool participated in the conference, titled Preservation, Production and Reproduction: Urban Heritage Transformation around the World.

XJTLU’s Professor Beibei Tang delivers the welcome address

The conference was “not only about heritage studies, but also about the role of the humanities and social sciences in today’s challenging global context”, said Professor Beibei Tang, Dean of XJTLU’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) and Chair of XJTLU’s Research Centre for Culture, Communication and Society (CCCS). CCCS hosted the event, with HSS, and XJTLU’s Design School serving as co-organizers.

Suzhou, a city that combines rich cultural traditions with innovation, was a fitting conference site, said Professor Tang. It is an ideal setting for dialogues on the intersections of heritage, policy, and urban development, she added.

In her opening remarks, Professor Xiaoling Zhang, Head of the Department of Media and Communication and co-leader of CCCS’s Heritage and Communication Research Group, emphasised the importance of cultural continuity and innovation.

Professor Xiaoling Zhang of XJTLU opens the conference

Meaningful preservation requires challenging dominant narratives and engaging communities and stakeholders directly, said Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay, University of Liverpool’s Sir James Stirling Chair in Architecture and Associate Dean for Research. He also heads the Heritage Research Institute and ArCHIAM (Centre for the Study of Architecture and Cultural Heritage of India, Arabia and the Maghreb) at the University of Liverpool.

Professor Bandyopadhyay drew on projects from the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa to illustrate urban heritage preservation dilemmas.

University of Liverpool’s Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay speaks on “Developmental Asset or Liability: The Dilemma of Urban Heritage Preservation”

A single academic or professional field cannot contain the most pressing issues in heritage, said Dr Yujie Zhu from The Australian National University. He urged participants to embrace interdisciplinary cooperation.

Dr Yujie Zhu of The Australian National University speaks on “Urban Heritage in Transformation: Values, Practices, and Transnational Dialogue”

Digital twin technologies can help protect fragile heritage while guiding future planning, offering a model for reconciling technology and tradition, said Dr Tao Yang, Associate Professor and Deputy Director of Technology Innovation Center for Smart Human Settlements and Spatial Planning & Governance at Tsinghua University.

“There is no more land for new urban development in China, so we need to focus on high-quality growth without expanding our current boundaries,” said Dr Yang, who helped develop Suzhou’s mass branding and strategic planning and contributed to the city information model and the first digital twin of Suzhou’s ancient city centre.

Dr Tao Yang, Tsinghua University, speaks on “Digital Twins City for Urban Governance”

Professor Timothy Clifton Winter, leader of the Inter-Asia Engagements research cluster of the Asia Research Institute at National University of Singapore, invited the audience to rethink heritage from a broader perspective.

Although “civilisations speak through stones,” heritage should be understood as woven into the fabric of human life, Professor Winter said, adding that cross-disciplinary dialogue is necessary.

National University of Singapore’s Professor Timothy Clifton Winter speaks on “Rethinking Urban Heritage From the Ground Up: From Rome to Jingdezhen”

In parallel sessions, attendees examined topics such as managing heritage tourism amid China's rapid urban development, and the role of contested histories and contemporary experiences in forming urban identities.

Conference attendees at a parallel session

XJTLU’s Dr Adam Brillhart, co-leader of CCCS’s Heritage and Communication Research Group, facilitated a roundtable on the future of urban heritage. Experts, including Professor Winter, Professor Bandyopadhyay, Dr Yang, XJTLU’s Dr Geoffrey Chun-fung Chen, co-leader of CCCS’s Urban and Culture Research Group, and Professor Marc Aurel Schnabel, Dean of XJTLU's Design School, reflected on themes of continuity and change.

During the roundtable open discussion, Professor Zhang asked: “As academics, what are our roles in preserving heritage? What can we do? Just write thousands of papers?”

In response, Professor Bandyopadhyay reminded the audience that scholars can have a unique influence, “because of the knowledge, because of our ability to communicate.”

Experts exchange views at the roundtable discussion

Siyu Zeng, a postgraduate student from the Department of Media and Communication at HSS, gave her first conference presentation. She said the experience was eye-opening and deeply rewarding.

“The strongest impression is that I truly feel the necessity of gathering together and communicating,” she said. “I now truly relate to this – academics need conversations like this.”

Launched in 2022, CCCS is an interdisciplinary hub, comprising four research groups: Heritage and Communication, Urban and Culture, Language and Technology, and Health Humanities. CCCS hosts international visiting fellows and promotes global partnerships to raise the international visibility of XJTLU’s research.

By Weizhong Huang and Tianxiang Zhang, DMC Newsletter
Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, XJTLU Department of Media and Communication
Edited by Yiyi Gu and Tamara Kaup