Travelling in Pursuit of a Tangible Past: Historical Relic Exploration (fanggu) as an Emerging Mode of Heritage Community in China

This study examines the contemporary cultural phenomenon of fanggu 訪古, or “historical relic exploration,” which emerged in China early in the twenty-first century and has gained increasing prominence on social media. While echoing traditional literati travel practices, fanggu is more directly shaped by modern heritage tourism and state-driven heritage-making policies. Surrounding these practices is a complex cultural nexus involving online subcultural communities, local conservation groups, heritage tourism enterprises, and professional scholars. This project draws on in-depth interviews with key practitioners, engaged academics, corporate actors, as well as digital ethnography focused on online communities and social media discourse. It investigates how these diverse actors collaboratively produce and circulate heritage knowledge. Applying Michel Maffesoli’s theoretical notion of “neo-tribalism,” I argue that the dynamic interactions within the fanggu cultural nexus have given rise to innovative, multimodal forms of heritage engagement that integrate cognitive inquiry with affective investment, thereby fostering a new mode of heritage community in contemporary China.