From Heritage to Resource

Lingqu Canal Project, constructed during the reign of Emperor Shihuang of Qin, remains well-preserved to this day and has now become one of the most important cultural heritages in contemporary times. Unlike other cultural heritages that are in urgent need of protection, it sustains considerable vitality in contemporary society. In this paper, field investigation and literature analysis methods are adopted to study Lingqu Canal Project. The research has found that it is no accident that Lingqu Canal Project has endured for millennia. Throughout its historical development spanning over 2,000 years, the project has gradually evolved beyond its original function of military shipping. Additional functions have derived, such as civil transportation, tourism, farmland irrigation, and urban water supply and drainage. Today, it has further become a renowned tourist attraction, thus keeping its vitality consistently. From the perspective of the "Heritage to Resource" concept, this paper explores the mechanisms and paths through which Lingqu Canal Project has transformed from a "heritage" in the previous historical period to a "resource" in the modern new era. This case provides a typical example for the research on the resource rendition of domestic cultural projects and confirms the possibility that a cultural heritage can activate its elements to regain vitality in modern society.

China · Cultural heritage · Emperor · Reign · Resource (disambiguation) · Tourism · Vitality · Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation · Water Governance and Infrastructure · Water management and technologies