From Stakeholder Value Perceptions to Collaborative Interpretation in World Cultural Heritage Management: Evidence from the Longmen Grottoes (China)

UNESCO promotes multi-stakeholder collaborative planning in World Cultural Heritage management. However, while previous studies on heritage interpretation have identified differences in stakeholder values, they have rarely shown how such differences can be translated into decision-relevant evidence to support collaborative interpretation. Using the Longmen Grottoes, a World Cultural Heritage site in China, as a case study, this study aims to transform stakeholders’ perceptions of value into evidence for collaborative interpretation within the context of World Cultural Heritage management. This study uses a mixed-methods design, integrating semi-structured interviews, questionnaire surveys, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) analysis, and semantic analysis of official policy discourse. This study compares the value perception of experts, the religious group, residents, tourism operators, and visitors, as well as the value priorities of experts and non-experts, and examines the alignment of these values with official management discourses. The findings indicate that divergences among stakeholder groups in value priorities and the official discourse system are structured primarily around expert-driven priorities, while the discourse of the religious group and the secular public are not fully reflected. This study integrates bottom-up stakeholder data with top-down policy discourse, demonstrating how value differences can be transformed into structured evidence to inform collaborative interpretation. These findings provide empirical support for management strategies in World Cultural Heritage.