Book review: Seeking a Future for the Past: Space, Power, and Heritage in a Chinese City

Philipp Demgenski, Seeking a Future for the Past: Space, Power, and Heritage in a Chinese City, Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press, 2024; 296 pp.: ISBN: 9780472076376, £64.95/US$80.00 (hbk), ISBN: 9780472056378, £29.95/US$34.95 (pbk)

Seeking a Future for the Past: Space, Power, and Heritage in a Chinese City offers an in-depth exploration of the complex socio-political dynamics and challenges of urban renewal in contemporary China. Drawing on a decade of immersive ethnographic fieldwork in Qingdao, an eastern Chinese coastal city with a colonial past located on the southern side of the Shandong peninsula, Philipp Demgenski presents the slow, fragmented and stagnant side of urban redevelopment in Dabaodao, an inner-city neighbourhood in Qingdao. Dabaodao was planned and built over a century ago as a segregated ‘Chinese town’ when Qingdao was under German colonial rule. Today, Qingdao is an economically thriving seaport, naval base and industrial centre.

This book’s research was carried out over a 10-year period, beginning with two short preliminary trips in 2011, and followed by an extended 18-month stay between September 2012 and January 2014. It focuses on Dabaodao’s transformation from a slum inhabited by the urban poor into a historical district for tourism and ‘cultural’ consumption, offering coffee shops, hostels and spaces for the creative economy. In seven chapters based on ethnographic research, the book explores the historical, social, economic and political factors influencing urban development, providing valuable insights into the complexities of China’s current attempts to reform and improve its urbanisation practices and increasingly incorporate preservation into redevelopment.

Dabaodao is located in the heart of Qingdao’s old town centre, surrounded by an eclectic mix of colonial monuments and modern high-rises. It covers an area of about 2.5 km² and is home to courtyard-style houses of various sizes, arranged in a grid-like pattern along narrow alleys and lanes. These courtyards are known as liyuan and first appeared during the colonial period. Similar to old Beijing, Dabaodao’s residents typically belonged to the urban underclass: unemployed and laid-off workers, the retired and disabled, landless suburban farmers and struggling students. Since the late 1990s, they have been joined by a steadily increasing number of migrant workers. At the outset, Demgenski introduces the current situation of Dabaodao through personal experience, giving the reader a preliminary understanding of the neighbourhood. A review of its historical development from the German colonial period through the Republican era to the Mao Zedong era reveals its unique identity as a ‘Chinese city’ and the challenges and changes it has faced during its development.

The following chapters use primarily ethnographic research methods to explore the various groups associated with the inner city of Dabaodao, including residents, migrants and preservationists, and their relationships with the inner city’s spatial structure and buildings. By telling the stories of these groups, Demgenski reveals their living realities, interests and strategies of action and presents a diverse and complex picture of the inner-city society. Through an ethnographic lens, the book focuses on the fragmented, controversial and haphazard aspects of China’s urban renewal process.

Of particular note are Chapters 2–6, which discuss the transformation of the inner city during the reform period, the social difficulties faced by residents, the complexity of compensation negotiations, the status of migrant groups and the rise of preservationists. By studying these different groups, the reader can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and conflicts during the development process of the inner city, as well as of the interactive relationships between different interest groups.

Residents in Dabaodao who relied on the spatial setup of the inner city for their daily lives were eventually displaced (migrants) or compensated and evicted (locals). The book examines many disputes over compensation, unresolved property rights and complex ownership issues. In Dabaodao, preservation efforts and ‘fair compensation’ were often viewed by local residents as insufficient improvements during redevelopment. Because urban renewal had made many people wealthy during much of the post-Mao era, residents saw wealth from redevelopment as a basic right. In their eyes, it was the government’s responsibility to provide that wealth, in whatever form.

The final chapter focuses on the changes that have taken place in the inner city over the last decade, describing some significant changes such as the demolition of courtyards, the renovation of streets and the emergence of new business formats. At the same time, Demgenski pays attention to the stories of some of the residents who still remain in the inner city and the migrant families who have been forced to move, presenting a humanised perspective behind the inner city’s development.

The highlight of the book is that Demgenski introduced a concept called ‘preservation predicament’, which suggests the dilemma for local officials of preserving an area while being uncertain about how to generate economic benefits. To be specific, the ‘preservation predicament’ in Qingdao refers to the complex and challenging situation faced by local officials in balancing the imperatives of heritage preservation with the practical demands of urban redevelopment. This predicament arises from several intertwined factors. First, there is a significant institutional challenge characterised by changes in municipal leadership and fragmented planning processes that result in inconsistent strategies and hinder the effective implementation of refurbishment projects. This lack of continuity and cohesive planning complicates efforts to integrate preservation goals with broader urban development objectives. Second, the preservation predicament is exacerbated by economic factors, including a lack of financial resources and the reluctance of private developers to invest in heritage-focused initiatives. Despite attempts by the city government to create consumer spaces and stimulate commercial activity in historic areas, these efforts often fail to attract high-end businesses or affluent residents, thus undermining the economic viability of preservation projects. Moreover, the predicament is influenced by social and political dynamics, where the national mandate for heritage preservation intersects with evolving public expectations of authenticity and cultural heritage. This convergence requires local officials to navigate between the pressures of preservationists advocating for authentic restoration and the practical need to generate economic returns from redevelopment.

In essence, the preservation predicament reflects a struggle where Qingdao’s local government officials find themselves caught between conflicting demands: on one hand, the imperative to preserve cultural heritage and historical authenticity; and on the other, the need to ensure that urban development is economically viable and meets contemporary market demands. This delicate balancing act underscores the complexity of revitalising historic urban areas while preserving their cultural significance and ensuring sustainable economic growth.

To conclude, the projects in Dabaodao failed because they overemphasised the preservation of architectural authenticity at the expense of social functions. For example, for disadvantaged groups, such as migrant workers who were integrated into Qingdao’s local economy through this area, the transformation meant displacement and loss of livelihood. In addition, some local residents hoped to receive substantial compensation through government resettlement programmes. However, discontent arose when the compensation offered by the government was deemed inadequate. This led to failed negotiations and eventually the government abandoned the resettlement plans, leaving both parties dissatisfied. In Demgenski’s view, governments should return to the approach taken in China in the 1980s in an effort to renovate old cities, treating the transformation of old cities as welfare rather than commercialisation.

There is room for improvement in the book, as there is in any work of scholarship. Time and resources permitting, Demgenski could have further strengthened the reliability of his study. However, these minor shortcomings do not detract from the overall quality of the work. In summary, this book is a very solid, cogently argued and highly structured text, written in a clear, systematic and accessible manner. It provides fresh critical insights and empirical evidence for the study of the political and economic issues involved in China’s urbanisation process. This makes it suitable for professionals, different academic disciplines and students (undergraduate and/or graduate). The anthropological approach adopted by the study, together with the rich empirical evidence, makes it a valuable resource for anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the complexities and changing socio-political dynamics of urban renewal in contemporary China.

Thanks to the support of Hangzhou Collaborative Innovation Institute of Language Services, HZCU.

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