This thesis investigates how the ecomuseum model has been adapted and implemented in two ethnic minority villages in Guizhou Province, Southwest China: the Tang’an Dong Ecomuseum and the Zhenshan Buyi Ecomuseum. Introduced to China in the late 1990s, the ecomuseum was promoted as an alternative to conventional heritage institutions, emphasising local participation, the integration of cultural and natural heritage, and the preservation of community life. In practice, however, its implementation intersects with broader policy frameworks concerning rural development, ethnic affairs, and tourism planning. Drawing on long-term ethnographic research and participatory visual methods, the study examines how heritage, landscape, and social relations are reshaped through the ecomuseum framework. The research analyses how spatial reorganisation, cultural representation, and village governance evolve in response to shifting institutional goals and the everyday practices of local actors. By comparing two villages with differing socio-spatial conditions and degrees of external influence, the thesis highlights the varied ways in which local communities engage with the ecomuseum model. The findings demonstrate that while ecomuseums are framed around ideals of community engagement and integrated conservation, their realisation is shaped by uneven interactions between institutional priorities and local agency. Residents do not passively absorb top-down interventions but respond through negotiation, adaptation, and resistance. By tracing how identity, space, and authority are co-produced in these contexts, the study contributes to broader discussions on cultural governance, rural transformation, and the localisation of international heritage models in contemporary China.
