NAVIGATING URBAN HERITAGE CONSERVATION IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS OF DALIAN CITY – INSIGHTS FROM REGIONAL CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Responding to this crisis, the Chinese government has undertaken the initiative to conserve and revitalise the urban historic districts in recent years. However, it has been observed that the process of historical heritage conservation in China is significantly influenced by the top-down protection system that renders the heritage voiceless. Past studies have explored the context of urban heritage conservation based on morphological integrity alone. This necessitates examining the context of the conservation of historic districts from a micro perspective involving human behaviour activities and experiences. This article aimed to navigate the path of urban heritage conservation in historic districts of China from a micro perspective of reviewing the regional cultural experiences. To do so, this article focused on the case of the historic district in Dalian City in China particularly Zhongshan District which is known for Zhongshan Square surrounded by classical buildings built in the early 20th century. Following the field visit and qualitative interviews with the residents, the collected data in the form of transcribed responses was thematically analysed. This article presents the main themes identified from the thematic coding of the collected data. The findings from the interviews indicated that the residents were dissatisfied with the heritage conservation interventions implemented by the government. This article concludes that the dissatisfaction among the residents was attributed to the concerns of the residents about the lack of connection between heritage buildings and the urban textures of their surroundings and the lack of supportive policies. This calls for strategic measures driven by regional cultural experiences.