AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT PRESERVATION STRATEGIES FOR HUNAN ACADEMIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THEIR FUTURE Yuanyi Zhang Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Science in Historic Preservation Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation Columbia University May 2018 Abstract This thesis is a study of the Chinese academies as they currently exist and the protections they have as historic structures and places. Given the large number of academies and their widely distributed locations, Hunan academies are selected for case studies, seeking commonalities with respect to the types of buildings, their locations, their current uses, the state of their conservation and their success as historic sites well recognized by the local and national community. The governance framework of heritage conservation in China follows a top down policy- making structure. Although current legislation has secured basic legal protections on cultural heritage sites, the lack of precise interpretation of the law has consequently vested great autonomy during the implementation process and thus resulted in situations where overlooked academies are subject to material loses and shallow interpretations. To the case studies individually and as a group reveal the various forces and conditions impacting and controlling the current preservation strategies for these designated heritage sites. They also permit consideration of the opportunities and threats which arise in a variety of situations, emphasizing the overarching ideas of preserving the architectural integrity with respect to academies’ educational nature and cultural influence as well as the thorough presentation of the broad spectrum of academy history. Although it is inevitable that many of the academies have to adjust their functions and building layout to accommodate the requirements of current conservation planning, it is an assumption underlying these analyses that, first and foremost, the cultural and historical significance of Hunan academies should not be compromised. i Acknowledgement First and foremost, I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Paul L. Bentel, for guiding me through this process with thoughtful comments and advice. Thank you again for your encouragement and patience during my most difficult time and helped me immensely to finish the project that I started 2 years ago. I would also like to thank my readers, Dr. Xin Conan-Wu, and Adjunct Assistant Professor Jessica Williams for providing insightful direction and discussion on the preservation of academies, and thank you again for being understanding and supportive of my thesis review. Thank you for all who invested their time to allow me to interview them during my field visits to the academies’ sites, your input means a lot to me. Finally, I would like to thank my parents, for their unconditional love, patience, and support throughout this incredibly long journey. Especially mom, you are the best. Thanks to all my classmates at GSAPP, and my friends Qi Zhang, Ziye Tang, Peihao Yu, Fujia Zhang and Sheng Zeng who helped, loved and encouraged me when I was in despair. And my wonderful editor, Daniel Ralston, thank you for rushing through those crazy deadlines with me. ii Table of Contents ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................................................... II LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................................... V INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .............................................................................................................................. 4 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................................. 7 CASE STUDY ACADEMIES ........................................................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER 1: A HISTORY OF THE HUNAN ACADEMIES: PHILOSOPHY AND ARCHITECTURE ..................... 13 1.1 THE HUNAN SCHOOL AND HUXIANG CULTURE ........................................................................................ 14 1.2 THE ARCHITECTURE OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE ACADEMIES........................................................................ 18 1.3 CHAPTER CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 22 CHAPTER 2 CULTURAL RELICS PROTECTION IN HUNAN PROVINCE ....................................................... 24 2.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 25 2.2 REVIEW OF EFFECTIVE CULTURAL RELICS PROTECTION LAWS AND REGULATIONS IN P.R.C. .............................. 28 2.3 OVERVIEW OF THE HUNAN ACADEMIES ................................................................................................. 34 2.3.1 The Geographic Distribution and Different Types of Hunan Academies .................................. 34 2.3.2 Academies in East Hunan ...................................................................................................... 37 2.3.3 Academies in South Hunan.................................................................................................... 38 2.3.4 Academies in West Hunan .................................................................................................... 39 2.4 CHARACTERISTICS OF DESIGNATED HUNAN ACADEMIES ............................................................................ 39 2.4.1 Revolutionary Historical Sites ................................................................................................ 40 2.4.2 Cultural Significance ............................................................................................................. 40 2.4.3 Memorial .............................................................................................................................. 41 2.4.4 Primary Education ................................................................................................................ 41 2.5 CHAPTER CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 41 CHAPTER 3 CURRENT PRESERVATION STRATEGIES FOR HUNAN ACADEMIES: CASE STUDIES ............... 43 3.1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 43 3.1.1 Current State of Conservation of the Academies in Hunan Province ....................................... 44 3.2 ACADEMIES ASSOCIATED WITH TOURISM .............................................................................................. 46 3.2.1 Tourism Type 1: Academies and Cultural Tourism.................................................................. 47 3.2.2 Tourism Type 2: Academies and Red Tourism ........................................................................ 62 3.3 ACADEMIES ASSOCIATED WITH THE REVIVAL OF NATIONAL STUDIES (GUOXUE) ............................................. 74 3.3.1 CCP Confucianism Propaganda Narratives (top-down) .......................................................... 75 3.3.2 Modern Academies (Private Schools) for Traditional Studies and Culture............................... 76 3.3.3 Lianxi Academy ..................................................................................................................... 76 3.3.4 Yuntou Academy ................................................................................................................... 80 3.3.5 SWOT Analysis of Academies Associated with the Revival of National Studies (Guoxue) ........ 82 iii 3.4 ACADEMIES CURRENTLY IN TRANSITION (OF USE OR CONDITION) ............................................................... 84 3.4.1 Chongshi Academy................................................................................................................ 86 3.4.2 Santan Academy ................................................................................................................... 90 3.4.3 Yehou Academy .................................................................................................................... 92 3.4.4 SWOT Analysis of the Academies in Transition ...................................................................... 94 3.5 CHAPTER CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................... 95 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ......................................................................... 100 4.1 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS .................................................................................................................. 100 4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS ON FUTURE CONSERVATION PLAN FOR HUNAN ACADEMIES ........................................ 102 BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................................... 105 iv List of Figures: Note: All photographs were taken or drawn by the