The Right to the City in Exchange-value Based Heritage Conservation: The Fate of Two Communities in Xi'an, China

Xi’an, a Chinese capital city for 13 dynasties, is arguably China’s first planned urban settlement as well as one of the largest cities in the first millennium of world. In its fourth Master Plan (2004-2020), this more... [ view full abstract ]

Xi’an, a Chinese capital city for 13 dynasties, is arguably China’s first planned urban settlement as well as one of the largest cities in the first millennium of world. In its fourth Master Plan (2004-2020), this more than 3,000-year old cultural and historic city has tried to reinvent itself to become a world-famous historic city, a tourist city, an important hub for scientific research, education, high-tech industrial development and transportation infrastructure. In the name of “conservation”, mega development projects have been undertaken to “rebuild” the city to its past glory, commodifying places, displacing long-time residents and directly challenging their rights to the city. This paper examines the different fates of two communities in face of this exchange-value based urban development. In the Sanxuejia (meaning literally, Three Scholars Streets), local residents and institutions had successfully mobilized their local and professional knowledge to resist the demolition of their lived spaces into shopping malls and car parks in the 1990s. Beichitou community, used to be a village nicknamed “Little Hong Kong” because of its entrepreneurial spirit in deploying its land and property assets, is not so fortunate. As the city government designated Qujiang where the village located as a Tourism and Recreational District, many villages including Beichtou, had to move in the 2000s. Without proper compensation, the relocated community now has to rely on social security and agonise on the lack of economic opportunities in their new setting. The paper will examine factors contributing to the distinctive fates of these two communities.