Socio-legal Perspectives on Authenticity in China's Cultural Heritage

In many cases, perspectives on authenticity in China's cultural heritage are guided by a range of considerations, influences, and interests that are beyond purely academic, historical, or cultural aspects. This particularly applies to decisions and regulations concerning heritage management, which are regularly guided by economic, political, and practical considerations. Decisions on how and what to regard and present as authentic to the public heavily mirror such considerations. Consequently, the question of authenticity can have a strong political notion to it. This applies not only to tangible heritage but also to intangible heritage. For example, in the management of China's intangible cultural heritage, questions of acknowledgement and authenticity are even influenced by what kind of heritage is deemed as adequately representing the cultures of diverse ethnicities and, more importantly, of the Chinese nation and should therefore be reflected in China's intangible cultural heritage law. Similarly, the management and protection of tangible heritage are frequently influenced by monetary factors, such as the potential revenue to be gained from visitors and the costs that would be incurred for its conservation. The selection and omission of heritage, the choice of conservation techniques, and the demolition and reconstruction of heritage sites may also have significant impact on their authenticity.

Another important area in this context is the trade in Chinese cultural artefacts. The market for these items has become increasingly overheated in recent years, with certain items regularly fetching prices in the millions of US dollars at international auctions. Such inflated prices naturally attract forgers and other criminals, which causes the international market to be flooded with fakes. Many fake items that are sold as authentic remain undetected, while collectors who purchased them do not necessarily have an interest in having the authenticity of the items properly examined so as not to risk devaluing their investment. In other cases, collectors of looted items regularly present the wrong age and location of each discovery to avoid having the authorities seize them and change the archaeological meaning and authenticity of an item. This presentation will address all of these aspects from a socio-legal perspective and link them to Chinese regulations, approaches to heritage management and policy, and numerous case studies. 

Further questions may be directed to: stefan.a.k.gruber@gmail.com