Authenticity in crisis: Structural tensions and challenges in the heritage preservation of Dongyang woodcarving

Abstract

Dongyang woodcarving (DYWC) is a form of Chinese intangible cultural heritage that is experiencing an authenticity crisis due to the pressures of industrialisation, commercialisation and spatial transformation. Although previous literature has explored heritage preservation and craft commodification, little attention has been given to how authenticity is constructed and how disjunctures emerge through the integrated semiotic, technical, and spatial aspects. To address this gap, the current study adopts a qualitative case study design, grounded in field observations, 16 semistructured interviews, and NVivo-aided thematic analysis. The results identify three interrelated threats to authenticity: symbolic drift, aesthetic simplification through the market, and contextual displacement. These processes undermine the semiotic and cultural intelligibility of DYWC. The article is grounded in heritage authenticity theory and semiotic analysis, and it suggests a three-dimensional safeguarding framework including technical integrity, symbolic reinforcement, and contextual re-embedding. This framework presents a new, integrative methodology that goes beyond material preservation to the maintenance of the cultural logic of craft practices. The results enhance wider discussions on the topic of intangible heritage in showing that authenticity is a structurally negotiated concept and offer useful insights to policymakers and heritage professionals on how to address comparable challenges in culturally embedded craft traditions.