Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions
Abstract Concessions—defined as the urban elements built by Western powers while ‘occupying’ various parts of the Chinese territory—have recently been granted heritage status by the Chinese national and local authorities. However, in many respects, they are ‘dissonant’ heritage sites since they are...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Built Heritage |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00158-9 |
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| author | Maria Gravari-Barbas Sandra Guinand Yue Lu Chensi Shen |
| author_facet | Maria Gravari-Barbas Sandra Guinand Yue Lu Chensi Shen |
| author_sort | Maria Gravari-Barbas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Concessions—defined as the urban elements built by Western powers while ‘occupying’ various parts of the Chinese territory—have recently been granted heritage status by the Chinese national and local authorities. However, in many respects, they are ‘dissonant’ heritage sites since they are the result of the several-decade-long ‘colonial’ presence in Tianjin of nine foreign powers. The aim of this study is to understand how former international concessions are featured in museums and interpretation centres in present-day Tianjin. Using an approach that draws on dissonant heritage; literature on postcolonial museums, nostalgia and forgetting mechanisms; and the relationship between museographic narratives and patriotism, this article analyses a corpus of eight museums located in three former international concessions (Marshal Zhang’s Mansion, the Former Residence of Ma Zhanshan, the Museum of Modern History of Tianjin, the Five Avenues History Museum, the Museum of the Department Store Quan Ye Chang, Zhang House, the Astor Hotel Museum, the Tianjin Planning Exhibition Hall and the Tianjin Museum). The analysis is based on a common observation grid and semidirect interviews conducted with museum staff. The article captures and examines the main narratives from three perspectives: 1) revisiting the concession period as evidence of the beginning of modernity in China, which was a time in which celebrity life stories and the emergence of modern urban elements were praised; 2) considering the concessions as a dreamlike past of ‘others’ and ‘elsewheres’ belonging to a ‘foreign land’ and a context far removed from contemporary life in China, which favours the thematisation and leisure of Western architecture; and 3) selecting and targeting narratives focused on the heroes of the Republic of China (1912–1949) and the People’s Republic of China. This paper highlights and further develops how former Western concessions are imbued with a sense of both nostalgia and patriotism and sets out to gain a deeper understanding of the tension between these two attitudes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9dbb9fd8be174e6b96f23b0ba8ecf95c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-6802 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-10-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Built Heritage |
| spelling | doaj-art-9dbb9fd8be174e6b96f23b0ba8ecf95c2025-02-09T12:40:28ZengSpringerOpenBuilt Heritage2662-68022024-10-018111610.1186/s43238-024-00158-9Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessionsMaria Gravari-Barbas0Sandra Guinand1Yue Lu2Chensi Shen3IREST, EIREST, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne UniversityIREST, EIREST, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne UniversityIREST, EIREST, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne UniversityIREST, EIREST, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne UniversityAbstract Concessions—defined as the urban elements built by Western powers while ‘occupying’ various parts of the Chinese territory—have recently been granted heritage status by the Chinese national and local authorities. However, in many respects, they are ‘dissonant’ heritage sites since they are the result of the several-decade-long ‘colonial’ presence in Tianjin of nine foreign powers. The aim of this study is to understand how former international concessions are featured in museums and interpretation centres in present-day Tianjin. Using an approach that draws on dissonant heritage; literature on postcolonial museums, nostalgia and forgetting mechanisms; and the relationship between museographic narratives and patriotism, this article analyses a corpus of eight museums located in three former international concessions (Marshal Zhang’s Mansion, the Former Residence of Ma Zhanshan, the Museum of Modern History of Tianjin, the Five Avenues History Museum, the Museum of the Department Store Quan Ye Chang, Zhang House, the Astor Hotel Museum, the Tianjin Planning Exhibition Hall and the Tianjin Museum). The analysis is based on a common observation grid and semidirect interviews conducted with museum staff. The article captures and examines the main narratives from three perspectives: 1) revisiting the concession period as evidence of the beginning of modernity in China, which was a time in which celebrity life stories and the emergence of modern urban elements were praised; 2) considering the concessions as a dreamlike past of ‘others’ and ‘elsewheres’ belonging to a ‘foreign land’ and a context far removed from contemporary life in China, which favours the thematisation and leisure of Western architecture; and 3) selecting and targeting narratives focused on the heroes of the Republic of China (1912–1949) and the People’s Republic of China. This paper highlights and further develops how former Western concessions are imbued with a sense of both nostalgia and patriotism and sets out to gain a deeper understanding of the tension between these two attitudes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00158-9Dissonant heritageColonial pastMuseumsTianjinChina |
| spellingShingle | Maria Gravari-Barbas Sandra Guinand Yue Lu Chensi Shen Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions Built Heritage Dissonant heritage Colonial past Museums Tianjin China |
| title | Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions |
| title_full | Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions |
| title_fullStr | Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions |
| title_short | Museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in Tianjin’s former international concessions |
| title_sort | museographic narrating of dissonant heritage in tianjin s former international concessions |
| topic | Dissonant heritage Colonial past Museums Tianjin China |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s43238-024-00158-9 |
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