Cultural heritage in China: Between policies, development, professional discourse, and the issue of managing

China is one of the richest countries in terms of cultural heritage. However, the unprecedented economic development of the last three decades has posed serious challenges to its survival. The growing importance of salvage excavation raises serious tensions between the textual-historical tradition and archaeological fi nds, with controversial impacts in terms of conservation and research, due to administrative mechanisms. To understand these phenomena it is necessary to reconstruct the role played by the complex process of reform, following the open-door policy and its impacts on the ‘Heritage Chain’ in terms of preservation, archaeological excavation, conservation, research, and museum and site access.