This book considers the role of cultural heritage and its efficacies in Chinese civilisation. It utilises a novel approach in viewing heritage as a long-term process that serves as a foundation for political hierarchies and orthodoxy while also contributing to cultural exchange through knowledge transmission. By asking the question ‘what does heritage do’, this book uses the lenses of history and anthropology to consider the role of heritage in civilisation. Using examples from Imperial China, it examines social patterns in Chinese uses and attitudes towards the past over long periods of...