A Changing Process of Traditional Built Environment in Yunnan, China

This study captures evidence of the different meanings of tradition in two sites in Yunnan province, in Southwest China. It compares the development of the capital city, Kunming, which represents people’s desire for the modernity, to the Old Town in Lijiang county where a traditional environment has been regenerated for tourism. In Kunming, the definitions of old and new, tradition and modern are eventually blurred, whereas in Lijiang, a bold celebration of its regenerated indigenous roots forces people to accept and to think. Both strategies allow the places to compete in and connect to the global economy.