Grand Canal study finds visible heritage can lack cultural meaning

A study of 12 historic towns in the Jiangsu–Zhejiang section of China’s Grand Canal found that Nanxun, Tangqi, Tongli and Lili retain high visibility for their material heritage but relatively low semantic depth. In these four cases, surviving commercial features remained readily apparent, yet the cultural meanings associated with them were less readily perceived by the public. The researchers describe this condition as carrier–meaning decoupling: the physical features that carry commercial heritage persist, while their associated cultural meanings are comparatively shallow.

The research combined user-generated content from Ctrip, Dianping and Xiaohongshu with field verification, in situ functional near-infrared spectroscopy experiments, questionnaire surveys and structural equation modelling. The online material was used to assess the persistence of material carriers and the depth of semantic content across the 12 towns. The four selected towns were then examined through the combined on-site methods, allowing the study to consider both digitally expressed perceptions and responses in the heritage environment.

Across the detailed case studies, spatial legibility, historical relevance and townscape coherence were associated with cultural identification and supportive behavioural intention. The analysis therefore linked features of the heritage setting with people’s cultural connection to a place and their stated willingness to act supportively toward it. These relationships were reported as associations within the study’s structural model, rather than as proof that a particular environmental feature directly causes a change in attitudes or behaviour.

The findings distinguish the visibility of heritage carriers from the depth of meaning attached to them. A historic canal town may retain conspicuous remains of its commercial past while those remains remain difficult for contemporary audiences to interpret. The authors’ conclusion is that commercial heritage interpretation should focus on strengthening the transformation of visible remains into publicly perceived cultural meanings. The study is limited to 12 towns in the Jiangsu–Zhejiang section, with four cases receiving detailed multimodal examination, so its results do not establish the condition of the entire Grand Canal or prove the effects of any specific interpretation measure.

Subject of Research: Multimodal assessment of cultural meaning in Grand Canal commercial heritage

Article Title: Multimodal diagnosis of carrier–meaning decoupling in grand canal commercial heritage landscapes

Article References: Mei, Y., & Ren, T. (2026). Multimodal diagnosis of carrier–meaning decoupling in grand canal commercial heritage landscapes. npj Heritage Science. https://doi.org/10.1038/s40494-026-03049-7

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1038/s40494-026-03049-7

Keywords: Grand Canal, commercial heritage, cultural meaning, heritage interpretation, user-generated content, near-infrared spectroscopy, structural equation modelling, historic canal towns, cultural identification, Multimodal, diagnosis, carrier