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Intangible cultural heritage has become an increasingly visible policy domain in contemporary China. This talk uses maritime heritage as a lens to examine how local governance operates in coastal regions. Drawing on a series of typical examples, it shows how local governments mobilise maritime traditions within broader agendas of tourism development, cultural industries, and regional branding. Rather than simply implementing central policy, local actors reinterpret heritage frameworks and work with practitioners, communities, and market actors to produce locally specific governance outcomes. Seen in this light, maritime heritage is not only something to be safeguarded. It is also a practical medium through which local states organise cultural life, pursue development, and negotiate legitimacy in contemporary China.

About the Speaker

Yu Tao is an Associate Professor and Coordinator of Chinese Studies at the University of Western Australia. His research examines governance, religion, migration, and cultural heritage in the context of Global China. He is an executive and the publications officer of the Asian Studies Association of Australia, the China editor of the Asian Studies Review, and a recipient of the Australian Award for University Teaching.

The ANU China Seminar Series is supported by the Australian Centre on China in the World at ANU College of Asia and the Pacific. 

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