Is there cultural planning in China? Planning for cultural facilities as a governance mechanism in the Pearl River Delta

Cultural planning is generally understood as a participatory, place-based planning paradigm emphasizing cross-sectoral collaboration, public participation, and the integration of cultural, social, and spatial objectives. Its applicability beyond these institutional contexts remains unclear, particularly in China, where cultural planning is not formally institutionalized despite sustained investment in cultural infrastructure. This paper examines whether—and in what form—the governance functions commonly associated with cultural planning are institutionalized within China’s planning system through planning for cultural facilities in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Drawing on documentary analysis, statistical evidence, and longitudinal field research, the study examines planning for cultural facilities through four governance dimensions: resource mobilization, institutional coordination, symbolic governance, and territorial organization. The findings demonstrate that governance functions commonly associated with cultural planning are systematically institutionalized through planning for cultural facilities within China’s planning-led governance system, rather than being organized through the more decentralized and project-based institutional arrangements commonly associated with the U.S. cultural planning tradition. The paper argues that planning for cultural facilities constitutes an institutional mechanism through which governance functions associated with cultural planning are realized under a different planning system. More broadly, it suggests that cultural planning is best understood as a set of governance functions that may be institutionalized through different institutional configurations rather than a single planning model.