02212nas a2200193   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003653001900044653003400063653003700097653003300134100001300167245010700180856015100287490000600438520155400444022002001998       2022                            d10aBuilt heritage10aChinese conservation policies10aConservation legislative history10aHistoric and cultural cities1 aS. Zhang00aThe development and institutional characteristics of China’s built heritage conservation legislation  uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85130900231&doi=10.1186%2fs43238-022-00057-x&partnerID=40&md5=633726b21a211ed674cd8a70ada474be0 v63 aThe article reviews comprehensively the emergence and development of China’s national legislative system for cultural heritage, with a particular focus on built heritage. It covers the period from the late Qing Dynasty to the present. The antiquity preservation legislation and policies from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China (ROC) era signify the initial emergence of the state-led legislative system for cultural heritage protection and management. The Interim Regulations on the Conservation and Management of Cultural Heritage, passed in 1960, represent the state’s first targeted effort to protect significant historic monuments and sites. The 1982 Cultural Heritage Protection Law (CHPL) established the mechanism for the conservation of Protected Cultural Heritage Sites (PCHS), while the 2008 Regulation on the Conservation of Famous Historic and Cultural Cities, Towns and Villages (RCFHCCTV) defined the principles for the conservation and management of historic cities. China’s current jurisdiction for the conservation of cultural heritage is underpinned by legislation such as the CHPL, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Law (ICHL), and the RCFHCCTV. This article analyses the characteristics of the current state legislative system for built heritage conservation and the challenges and constraints regarding urban conservation. It concludes with strategic guidance for improving the legislation for China’s built heritage conservation in the present era of rapid economic development and urban regeneration.  a20963041 (ISSN)