Paris, China: Some Thoughts about the Value of Simulated Heritage

Commercially driven copies are conventionally considered to lack relevance to heritage because they are of recent origin and lack heritage values. But for others, including us, heritage should be valued in relation not to its origin but to its function in society. In this paper, we will contribute to illuminating this discussion further by presenting Tianducheng (Sky City), a simulated heritage in Hangzhou, China. The city is a large suburb, which is designed to include a selection of very prominent architectural heritage of France (including an imposing copy of the Eiffel Tower in Paris!). It is one of many suburbs in China that resemble far-away places and include copies of foreign historical landmarks, reflecting Chinese imaginations of the Western life-style. These suburbs are commodities that originated in a specific economic and cultural framework of contemporary China. As such, Tianducheng is part of the cultural heritage of early 21st century China. But questions are also raised about the relationship to the original heritage sites in France which Tianducheng evokes. Arguably, Tianducheng fulfills some of the same functions of heritage in Hangzhou as the original sites fulfill in France, e.g. in relation to memory and place-making.  

We discuss Tianducheng and its design from several perspectives: the priorities of the real estate company Guangsha Group which started this enormous project in 2001; the values, behaviour, and experiences of the local population living there; and current thinking about simulation, theming, authenticity, and pastness in relation to heritage. We argue that places like Tianducheng simulate heritage, but at the same time they provide real heritage value in society and should therefore not be dismissed. This raises some profound questions: will there soon be many more suburbs around the world that simulate the past of other places and should heritage experts and historians welcome them? Does China lead the way towards the future of the past? 

Further questions may be directed to: cornelius.holtorf@lnu.se; qingkaima@zju.edu.cn; chenxianly@hotmail.com; zhangyu@zafu.edu.cn