Fragmented Bureaucracies in Built Heritage Conservation: The Case of Shamian Island, Guangzhou

Located in Guangzhou, Shamian Island was leased as a foreign concession to the British and French forces in the mid-nineteenth century. The island has been granted the highest heritage protection status. Through the lens of the Fragmented Authoritarianism framework, this paper examines the bureaucratic structure of the Chinese state, bargaining activities, and policy outcomes related to conserving Shamian Island. The following conclusions are drawn: first, coordinated conservation efforts have been hamstrung by the fragmented heritage management system that is tier-differentiated and jurisdiction-based; and second, the two most concerned agencies – the Planning Bureau and the Cultural Bureau – have not been able to agree on the appropriate approach to conserving heritage and historic buildings on the site. Deadlock has resulted, as no agency can really push for better, and more compatible, policies. Nor have sustained conservation practices for the site been viewed as politically significant enough to prompt higher-level government officials to step in and end the bureaucratic squabbling.