Authorized Heritage Discourse (AHD) equates heritage value with visual and material purity, marginalizing resident-led changes as damage. This study examines “parasitic” additions to Beijing’s siheyuan—vernacular, externally attached modules used to meet modern living needs—as a critical site of negotiation. Combining spatial mapping of 48 cases, a resident survey (n = 185), and stakeholder interviews (n = 13) conducted between April 2023 and June 2025, we identify a fundamental discursive rupture: residents overwhelmingly justify adaptations on “living rights” grounds (support rate ≈ 76.3%), while professionals uphold aesthetic conservation. We theorize these interventions as a “subversive compromise,” preserving the historic shell while embedding modern functionality, thus co-producing a state of “negotiated authenticity.” While limited by non-probability sampling, the findings call for a governance shift from rigid form-based rules to performance- and rights-oriented pathways, including provisional permits and participatory review. The study underscores the need to reconcile visual integrity with dwelling rights to sustain living heritage.
Xu et al. (Mon,) studied this question.