Reconceptualizing Industrial Cultural Resource Revitalization: The Case of Wuxi’s Development as a “New-Era Industrial and Commercial City”_Vol. 3 No. 4 (JMSD 2026)_Journal of Management and Social Development (ISSN: 3005-5741)

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Reconceptualizing Industrial Cultural Resource Revitalization: The Case of Wuxi’s Development as a “New-Era Industrial and Commercial City”

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jmsd.202612416

Author(s)

Chen Ren

Affiliation(s)

Wuxi City College of Vocational Technology, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

Industrial heritage is increasingly visible in museums, tourism projects, and urban branding, but greater visibility does not necessarily produce historical understanding. Wuxi offers a useful case because its industrial narrative spans modern national industry and commerce, township and village enterprises, and the contemporary digital creative economy. This study compares three sites representing these periods and uses 88 valid questionnaires and three semi-structured interviews to examine five constructs: resource value identification (RVI), digital cultural translation (DCT), cultural cognition and value internalization (CCVI), tourist identity (TI), and city brand cognition (CBC). RVI is strongly associated with DCT (β=.690, p<.001). CCVI is associated with RVI (β=.323, p<.001) and DCT (β=.549, p<.001), while TI is most strongly associated with CCVI (β=.640, p<.001). For CBC, CCVI (β=.484, p<.001) and TI (β=.275, p=.012) are significant; the direct effects of RVI and DCT are not. The descriptive evidence is equally important. Although 62.50% of respondents considered interaction insufficient, TI remained high (M=4.332). DCT had the lowest mean (M=4.253), yet CBC remained high (M=4.381). These results suggest that digital media contribute chiefly when they help visitors interpret historically grounded relationships. They also indicate that memory, prior knowledge, and an existing image of Wuxi may matter alongside the immediate digital experience.

Keywords

Industrial Cultural Resources; Digital Cultural Translation; Cultural Cognition and Value Internalization; Tourist Identity; City Brand Cognition

References

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