Heterogeneity of residents’ heritage responsibilities in the process of cultural communication: the case of the Genglubu heritage site in Tanmen, China

ABSTRACT Heritage responsibility in cultural communication has gotten minimal scholarly study and may face additional challenges as a result of discourses of heritage dissonance. Through the lens of the combination of critical heritage studies and communication science on a sample of residents in the heritage site of Genglubu, Tanmen, China, this study critically analyses the heterogeneity of residents’ heritage responsibilities in the process of heritage cultural communication (divided into two dimensions: environmental and psychological), under the interaction between the official discourse and vernacular discourse. Combined with 284 respondents’ questionnaires and 65 in-depth interviews, this study has shown that: (a) residents were exposed to Genglubu heritage culture primarily through communication space, followed by media space and physical space; (b) four groups of residents were identified using two-step cluster analysis. In order of numbers, they were heritage value approvers, indifferents, qualified heritage protectors, and active heritage protectors. We argue that heritage practices dominated by authorised heritage discourse (AHD) suppress community voices. Although most Tanmen residents recognise heritage value, they fail to benefit from it, resulting in a lack of heritage responsibility. The findings of this study may provide some insights into how to ensure effective community involvement in heritage conservation.