Restructuring Governance in Contemporary Urban China: perspectives on state and society

Serving as a de facto introduction to the group of articles in this issue, this essay discusses four varied approaches to state and society, followed by an empirical evaluation of urban China in the realm of heritage governance. Through examining the nomination and preservation of the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang as required by UNESCO's World Heritage status, I argue that the operation of the local political systemwas adynamic, interactive, andresourceful process that drew its legitimacy from multiple sources without systematic bias against any particular social group.