Abstract
Only in recent decades have many Chinese historically significant buildings and sites been targeted for preservation. The initiator—usually the government—prioritizes economic profits, which leads to the over-commodification of cultural history. Demolition and inaccurate quasi-historic buildings are rampant, compromising the integrity of historic sites. Preservation thus ironically turns into destruction of heritage. \r This thesis seeks to critically examine historic initiatives from a comparative perspective. The primary case study is the Kuanzhai Alley (宽窄巷子) historic preservation project in Chengdu, China. To illustrate the importance of appropriate initiatives and find applicable solutions to other Chinese historic preservation projects, I analyze the effect of different initiatives by comparing Kuanzhai with two other historic preservation projects, the Kurazukuri zone in Japan, and Colonial Williamsburg in the U.S.