STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT OF MT. QINGCHENG

Authors

  • Chen Yi Mahasarakham University
  • Yuttapong Tonpradoo Mahasarakham University

Keywords:

Cultural Heritage, Destination Management, Mt. Qingcheng, Sustainability

Abstract

Mount Qingcheng (MT. QINGCHENG) is a prominent cultural heritage site in Sichuan Province, China, notable for its contribution to the evolution of Taoism. As a UNESCO World Heritage site, it confronts the combined problem of regulating visitor influx and protecting its cultural and ecological integrity. This study seeks to examine the historical importance of Mt. Qingcheng and the contemporary sustainable practices implemented in its administration. It seeks to identify and enhance sustainable practices to better leverage the site’s cultural and natural attributes. Employing a qualitative research approach, the study utilized a combination of documentary analysis, observations, structured interviews, and focus group
discussions. Participants ranged from academics to local community leaders, providing a diverse perspective on the sustainability practices at the site. The findings highlight
Mt. Qingcheng’s pivotal role in Taoism and its recognition as a global cultural heritage landmark. However, there are significant opportunities to enhance sustainability efforts,
with potential to more fully integrate cultural elements into the site’s management practices to improve its appeal and impact. The study underscores the untapped potential for integrating sustainability with cultural heritage management at Mt. Qingcheng. By enhancing sustainable practices, the site can better preserve its cultural significance while adapting to modern tourism demands, thereby ensuring its viability and integrity for future generations.

References

Ahi, P. & Searcy, C. (2015). Assessing sustainability in the supply chain: A triple bottom line approach. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 39(10-11), 2882-2896.

Alhaddi, H. (2015). Triple bottom line and sustainability: A literature review. Business and Management Studies, 1(2), 6-10.

Bodini, A. (2012). Building a systemic environmental monitoring and indicators for sustainability: What has the ecological network approach to offer? Ecological Indicators, 15(1), 140-148.

Chiu, C-N. (2021). Tourism expansion and economic development: Evidence from the United States and China. Journal of China Tourism Research, 17(1), 120-141.

Domínguez-Quintero, A.M., Rosario González-Rodríguez, M. & Paddison, B. (2020). The mediating role of experience quality on authenticity and satisfaction in the context of cultural-heritage tourism. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(2), 248-260.

Haibo, C., Ayamba, E.C., Udimal, T.B., Agyemang, A.O. and Ruth, A. 2020. Tourism and sustainable development in China: A review. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 27(1), 39077-39093.

Kim, S., Whitford, M. & Arcodia, C. (2021). Development of intangible cultural heritage as a sustainable tourism resource: The intangible cultural heritage practitioners’ perspectives. In Chhabra, D. (Ed.), Authenticity and Authentication of Heritage (pp.34-47). London, UK: Routledge.

Li, X., Abbas, J., Dongling, W., Baig, N.U.A. & Zhang, R. (2022). From cultural tourism to social entrepreneurship: Role of social value creation for environmental sustainability. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1), 925768.

Loviscek, V. (2020). Triple bottom line toward a holistic framework for sustainability: A systematic review. Revista de Administração Contemporânea 25 (1), e200017.

McElroy, M.W. & Van Engelen, J.M.L. (2012). Corporate Sustainability Management: The Art and Science of Managing Non-Financial Performance. London: Routledge.

Moayerian, N., McGehee, N.G. & Stephenson Jr., M.O. (2022). Community cultural development: Exploring the connections between collective art making, capacity building and sustainable community-based tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 93 (2022), 103355.

Morali, O. & Searcy, C. (2013). A review of sustainable supply chain management practices in Canada. Journal of Business Ethics 117 (1), 635-658.

Mushtaha, E., Shamsuzzaman, M., Abdouli, S.A., Hamdan, S. & Soares, T.G. (2020). Application of the analytic hierarchy process to developing sustainability criteria and assessing heritage and modern buildings in the UAE. Architectural Engineering and Design Management 16 (5), 329-355.

Nadkarni, R.R. & Puthuvayi, B. (2020). A comprehensive literature review of multi-criteria decision-making methods in heritage buildings. Journal of Building Engineering 32 (2020), 101814.

Nesticò, A. & Somma, P. (2019). Comparative analysis of multi-criteria methods for the enhancement of historical buildings. Sustainability 11 (17), 4526.

Nikbin, M.N. (2023). A meta-synthesis study of sustainable development of cultural tourism at world heritage sites. International journal of Tourism, Culture & Spirituality 6 (2), 77-96.

Nunberg, S., Sanchez, S.A. & Eckelman, M.J. (2024). Sustainability tools in cultural heritage: Life cycle assessment examining crates for heritage objects. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation (2024), 1-13.

Qiuchen, J. (2022). Research on the problems and countermeasures of Dujiangyan Irrigation Project tourism market regulation. (Master’s Thesis) Sichuan University, China.

Selim, M.A., Abdel-Fattah, N.A. & Hegazi, Y.S. (2021). A composite index to measure smartness and competitiveness of heritage tourism destination and historic building. Sustainability, 13(23), 13135.

Singh, R.K., Murty, H.R., Gupta, S.K. & Dikshit, A.K. (2012). An overview of sustainability assessment methodologies. Ecological Indicators, 15(1), 281-299.

Steiner, C.J. & Reisinger, Y. (2006). Understanding existential authenticity. Annals of Tourism Research, 33(2), 299-318.

Talan, A., Tyagi, R.D. & Surampalli, R.Y. (2020). Social dimensions of sustainability. Sustainability: Fundamentals and Applications (2020), 183-206.

Tan, S.-K., Lim, H.-H., Tan, S.-H. & Kok, Y.-S. (2020). A cultural creativity framework for the sustainability of intangible cultural heritage. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 44(3), 439-471.

Waldman, L. (2020). Evaluating local environmental, cultural, and economic implications of the Chinese park system: Taking Sichuan province parks as an example. The Macksey Journal 1 (1).

Wang, S.-X., Lu, W.-M. & Hung, S.-W. (2021). You gain when you give: Constructing a sustainable development model for world heritage sites. Journal of Cleaner Production, 328(1), 129547.

Wijijayanti, T., Agustina, Y., Winarno, A., Istanti, L.N. & Dharma, B.A. (2020). Rural tourism: A local economic development. Australasian Accounting, Business and Finance Journal, 14(1), 5-13.

Yuan, N. & Sun, K. (2014). A comparative study on heritage tourism development in Mt. Qingcheng and Mount Emei. Sustainable Development (Shanghai), 4(1), 1-5.

Zhao, L., Li, Y., Zhang, N. & Zhang, Z. (2023). Public policies and conservation plans of historic urban landscapes under the sustainable heritage tourism milieu: Discussions on the equilibrium model on Kulangsu Island, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built Heritage, 7(1), 6.

Zhang, Y.-L., Zhang, J., Zhang, H.O., Zhang, R.Y., Wang, Y., Guo, Y.R. & Wei, Z.C. (2017). Residents’ environmental conservation behaviour in the mountain tourism destinations in China: Case studies of Jiuzhaigou and Mt. Qingcheng. Journal of Mountain Science, 14(12), 2555-2567.

Zhou, Q.B., Zhang, J., Zhang, H. & Ma, J. (2015). A structural model of host authenticity. Annals of Tourism Research, 55(2015), 28-45.

Zhu, C., Fong, L.H.N. & Gan, M. (2023). Rethinking the consequences of postmodern authenticity: The case of a world cultural heritage in augmented reality. Current Issues in Tourism 26(4), 617-631.

Downloads

Published

2025-06-30

How to Cite

Yi, C., & Tonpradoo, Y. (2025). STRATEGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE MANAGEMENT OF MT. QINGCHENG. Academic Journal Phranakhon Rajabhat University, 16(1), 50–68. retrieved from https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/AJPU/article/view/275324

Issue

Section

บทความวิจัย (Research Article)