Storm in a Teacup? The Dilemma of Authenticity and Livingness in the Jingshan Tea Banquet, China

Date and Time
Wednesday, December 4, 5:00 – 6:00 PM (Time zone: Europe/Brussels)

Google Meet Joining Info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/emn-xfoo-wve
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Introduction

For generations, cultural heritage preservation has centered on maintaining historical authenticity, ensuring that traditions remain as untouched and true to their origins as possible. In recent years, however, the focus has shifted towards livingness, advocating for a dynamic adaptation that keeps heritage relevant to contemporary social and economic life. This talk explores the tensions between these two approaches, using the Jingshan Tea Banquet in China as a case study to illustrate how intangible cultural heritage faces the dual pressures of commercialization and the desire for historical preservation. The Jingshan Tea Banquet, with its deep roots in the rituals of Jingshan Temple, has become a battleground where monks strive to maintain spiritual authenticity, villagers assert their cultural pride, government officials promote heritage tourism, and business stakeholders pursue commercial opportunities. These local conflicts encapsulate a global challenge: how do communities in developing regions protect their cultural legacies while embracing the realities of modernity? Based on a year of immersive ethnographic fieldwork, including participant observation and in-depth interviews in Jingshan Village, this talk offers a window into the daily negotiations of monks, villagers, and officials. It uncovers their dual roles as both guardians of tradition and innovators seeking to respond to modern pressures, providing insight into how authenticity is actively reshaped through practices of cultural transmission.

Speaker

Chengcheng Yang PhD Candidate in Sociology, Zhejiang University, China
Visiting researcher, Centre for Religion and Heritage

Chengcheng Yang is a PhD candidate in Sociology at Zhejiang University and a visiting researcher at Centre for Religion and Heritage at the University of Groningen. Her research lies at the intersection of heritage studies and urban anthropology, offering new perspectives on how place, space, and community dynamics shape the evolving narratives of cultural heritage. Her work sheds light on the tension between preserving cultural traditions and adapting to modern societal demands, focusing especially on the often-overlooked stories of marginalized communities, groups, and individuals.

RSVP deadline is November 29th.