Abstract:
5203 In recent times, the notion of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in terms of its identification, analysis and protection of cultural heritage values is gaining attention in urban conservation worldwide. ICH has been recognized as the ―living heritage‖ of the city that is constantly recreated by people in response to their environment, their interaction with nature and their history. It is an essential element of cultural significance in representing cultural identity, diversity and human creativity in historic urban areas. The historic district, defined as a culturally and architecturally rich historic urban area, plays a significant role in the development and protection of ICH. The lifestyles and living traditions, social networks, local beliefs and knowledge of the local inhabitants are the important ICH of the historic district. In this sense, the safeguarding approaches of ICH should be integrated with the conservation and rehabilitation processes of the historic districts in order to protect and promote the cultural importance and values of both tangible and intangible cultural heritages. However, current instruments for safeguarding ICH are mainly focused on protecting and promoting ICH at the national and regional levels. Many activities and policies for safeguarding ICH face difficulties in successful implementation within local and community levels and are integrated with urban planning projects, especially in China. The study attempts to develop a community-based approach to identify, collect, protect, transmit and promote ICH in the historic district. The Beiyuanmen Historic District in Xi'an has been selected as a case study area to apply this approach in the Chinese context. Based on the case study, the thesis argues that intangible cultural heritage needs to be conserved in historic environments through consistent conservation processes and collaboration between local government, specialists and the local communities of the area, in order to protect the sense of place and cultural continuity, improve quality of life and preserve heritage resources and the cultural identity of the area.