Authenticity Matters (!): Colonial Heritage, Civil Society and Urban Renewal in Qingdao

In this talk, I present an example of how increasingly heritage conscious urban citizens attempt to challenge state-led urban renewal in contemporary China. I focus on a group of local preservationists who use an idea of “authenticity” that focuses on architectural integrity and prevents modification and commercialisation to oppose the attempts of the government of Qingdao to redevelop parts of the old, former colonial city centre. The specific area I concentrate on is an innercity neighbourhood that was first planned and built as a segregated “Chinese town” under German colonial rule and that has, also owing to the efforts of the preservationists, been rediscovered as a site of historical importance and local architectural heritage. I will discuss who the preservationists are, what their heritage agendas and narratives entail, what kinds of activities they engage in and how they manage to impact urban renewal projects. This case study provides reflections on the topic of civic activism and state-society relations in the context of urban redevelopment, but also on the broader challenges of China's current move away from the “demolish and rebuild” model towards preservation and “subtle redevelopment” (wei gaizao).