
Department of Anthropology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
Visual anthropology; Cultural heritage; Social change; Aquaculture development
Prof. Sidney C.H. Cheung received scholarships given by the Japanese Government/Monbusho (1984-94) for his undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programmes and his anthropological training in Japan. He is the Professor and Associate Director of the Centre for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Studies. He has been doing research about freshwater fish farming in Hong Kong in order to understand the fishermen and their perspectives on environmental change, sustainable development, and wetland conservation. Currently, he is working on an ongoing multi-site research project exploring the impact of the move of American crayfish from the U.S. to Asia and on the global consumption and production of crayfish in China, Japan, and the U.S.
Besides academic publications, Cheung was co-hosting three RTHK radio/television programmes entitled: 《港饮食、讲文化 (Hong Kong Foodways and Culture)》in 2004, 《文化非主流 (Culture Unconventional)》in 2005,《考饮考食》in 2017/2018, 《味之天下:中华色香味》in 2022 and《艺文谷之味觉漫游系列》in 2025, through which he was able to bring anthropological perspectives to the mass public. Again, some of his research findings were used for the RTHK documentary series of 《香港故事 (Hong Kong Stories) 》, such as [年年有鱼] and [东江逆流] in 2008.
Prof. Cheung's Research interests include:
Visual anthropology, anthropology of tourism, cultural heritage, food and identity, social change and aquaculture development, Ainu-Japanese relations, coastal communities, incense traditions.
Countryside conservation has received more attentions in recent years, not only because people want to retain the rural landscape for traditional farming, but also because it can offer urbanites opportunities to enjoy a lifestyle different from the pressured one in a modern city. However, countryside conservation projects take place in a physical location that is neither rural nor urban, a zone where urban visitors are most welcomed and rural inhabitants’ values and experiences are fully respected. To enhance the rural-urban symbiosis in the countryside, traditional settlements and vernacular houses play significant roles for both the host and the guests to engage with each other. In the eyes of contemporary architects and urban planners, most of these areas have been vibrant agricultural settlements with vigorous traditions and geographic and consanguineous connections for centuries. In many parts of China, these precious rural lands with natural sceneries and rich cultural heritage have been left intact due to the exodus of villagers for better economic opportunities in Chinese cities and foreign countries.
Countryside conservation and revitalization projects in these once dilapidated villages come into sight in respect to the government policy support and availability of funding. Sandwiched between the fringes of cities and the heartlands of nature conservation zones known as country parks, these places are often without vehicular access or infrastructure of modern convenience, and are privileged by funding for rural revitalization to avoid radical private developments and villager confrontation. These projects prompt the villagers, stakeholders, researchers, and other interested parties in varied conservation sectors to work closely together for research, education, and recreation purposes . In this special issue, we are looking for experiences from these participatory action research projects at various rural settings, to give raise to debate on the approach in strategizing and implementing measures to address the dynamics in the communities, identify research opportunities and common interests, work towards regeneration of physical spaces and cultural values, and set forth multidisciplinary research on reviving traditional landscapes.
Top-down rural heritage revitalization and economic development: A case study of Tangwei village, Dongguan, Guangdong, China
Leveraging heritage conservation for development: A case study of the Tonglushan ancient copper mine site in Daye, Hubei, China
Dynamics and discrepancies in rural–urban village regeneration: A case study of a coastal community in Hong Kong SAR, China
“Saving” Lizhuang: Local preservation and resistance in a historical Sichuan town under tourism development
Feasibility and challenges of cultural landscape and countryside conservation: A case study of the ngong ping tea factory
Developing a dynamic evaluation framework for rural heritage regeneration from the perspective of rural revitalization
On higher grounds: Negotiating the legal framework for conserving Lantau Mountain Camp
The development and revitalization of “rural schools” in the Sha Tau Kok area
Reinterpreting Chinese vernacular architecture through actor-network: Creating heritage in Hong Kong’s northern New Territories