Exploring Conservation and Development Strategies for Architectural Heritage：A Case Study from Paris Hotel in Kaiping, Guangdong

Since the inscription of Kaiping Diaolou and Villages on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in June 2007, a multitude of tourists have been attracted to the place. Monuments in Kaiping demon-strate rustic, idyllic beauty of naturalness and convey historical significance. Certain Western trav-ellers even regard the area as the last paradise among cultural heritage sites in China. How to pro-tect the monuments there, to guard them from structural damage or over-commercialisation as at other scenic spots within the country This is a sustained and difficult problem that needs to be tackled with by Kaiping municipal government, its heritage management as well as tourism de-partments. This article takes Paris Hotel, a building in Chikan Town of Kaiping, as an example to search for a sensible adaptive re-use scheme aiming to develop local economy while preserving cultural heritage at the same time.