RESTAURO, FRUIZIONE CULTURALE E SOSTENIBILITÀ NELLA CINA ATTUALE: IL CASO DELLE PAGODE

Simona Salvo1, Yang Hui2

1 ‘Sapienza’ Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Storia, Disegno, Restauro dell’Architettura, p.zza Borghese 9 - 00185 Roma - simona.salvo@gmail.com

2 ‘Sapienza’ Università di Roma, Dipartimento di Storia, Disegno, Restauro dell’Architettura, p.zza Borghese 9 - 00185 Roma- pineboat@gmail.com

Abstract

The very slight but definite letup of the Chinese economy is causing interesting consequences in the conservation of the national cultural heritage. The central administration is finally considering the dramatic situation caused to sites and monuments due to the very high touristic pressure to which they are subject daily. Actually, mass tourism, political orientation and financial support are directly connected in today’s China and while notable heritage sites carry a tremendous touristic load but are supported by economic funding, other important ones are scarcely considered as they are considered unattractive, such as the pagodas which lay isolated in the territory, far away from main tourist routes. Many of them are today reduced to critical conditions not only due to the decay and ageing of the building materials and although very representative, they do not obtain appropriate acknowledgement from the great public, discouraging the public authorities to support their conservation and maintenance.

The situation has now come to an arching point bringing the public administration to consider accurately a sustainable ‘consumption’ rate of heritage sites and monuments and to acknowledge their effective value, in order to engage actions and efforts to conserve, maintain and preserve them. In other words, China is lately approaching the culture of conservation with a more advanced awareness and may be interested to theoretical and methodological attitudes that have already been experienced as successful in the Western countries.

Key-words: Chinese architectural heritage, conservation, mass tourism, consumption, pagoda