Reappropriating the communal past: lineage tradition revival as a way of constructing collective identity in Huizhou, China

Abstract This article discusses the reappropriation and redefinition of heritage and tradition as a process of purposeful and selective value extraction by various groups at the local level in Huizhou, China, based on case studies. It is a process of continuous accumulation and self-persuasion by empowering specific cultural heritages, thus reinforcing the identity and cognition of the group to which they belong. The recovery of lineage worship to negotiate different cultural meanings and gain discursive power in the village of Huangdun reveals the counterbalance of the distribution of benefits among lineage groups, locals and government officials. These heritage empowerment actions fit with the official cultural policy and the vision for cultural orthodoxy, healing the division and creating some benefits for the local community. They also generate potential conflicts between the official and folk levels but are performed with mutual achievement and utilisation rather than unilateral dominance.