Residents' Perceived and Expected Value of Linear Cultural Heritage: The Example of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway

Abstract

The protection, activation, and utilization of the cultural heritage has attracted increasing attention from the international community. Cultural heritage is an important carrier for inhabitants to promote their local identity and express the emotions and geographical memory of local communities. The Linear Cultural Heritage Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, which once played an important historical role, is at the critical point between decline and revival. With its traffic and economic function declining daily, its heritage value is gradually being manifested in people's nostalgic mood and emotional recall. By investigating residents' perceived and expected value of the cultural heritage at several important stations along the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, this paper explores the realistic basis of value reconstruction and excavates the multiple values of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, which can contribute to the scientific protection and sustainable utilization of the linear cultural heritage of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway. The survey covers such issues as the economy, transportation, culture, society, ecology, tourism, spiritual attribution, local identity, and international contacts. By comparing the data collected using the Richter scale, the paper explores the differences between the twelve common factors of perceived value and expected value. It was found that the local identity of the residents along the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway is mainly reflected in the functional turn, value reproduction, and tourism development; the perceived value and expected value of the residents along the railway are identical, and there are obvious differences,which are embodied in five aspects: frontier stability, economic development, international trade, ecological environment and national integration. The research concludes that: First, the residents along the railway consistently affirm the cultural heritage value of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway, expressing an optimistic and supportive attitude toward its future functional turn, value reproduction, and tourism development. Second, the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway is a common element of the local memories of residents along the line, the source and symbol of their common cultural and local identities. The protection and utilization of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway is a continuation of the local context that will greatly enhance the national spirit. Finally, the residents have different expectations for the future development of the railway. The overall utilization of the Yunnan-Vietnam Railway is not equal to sustaining the development of the whole railway. Attention should thus be focused on the sections with better resource conditions and foundations for tourism. The theme of the whole railway should be unified, and an international tourism route can be opened jointly with Vietnam at an appropriate time.

Keywords

• linear cultural heritage
• yunnan-vietnam railway
• place identity
• perceived value
• expected value