02426nas a2200313 4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003260000800044653002200052653002100074653002400095653001700119653001900136653001100155653002200166653002200188653001400210653002500224653002100249653002400270100003100294700002100325245008500346856014300431490000700574520151100581022002002092 2021 d cjul10aCultural security10aCultural tourism10aHeritage protection10aMartial arts10aShaolin temple10aUNESCO10acommercialization10acultural heritage10aEducation10aquestionnaire survey10atourist behavior10atourist destination1 aStefania Skowron-Markowska1 aMarta Nowakowska00aChinese Destinations Related to Martial Arts Tourism from the UNESCO Perspective uhttps://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85110570529&doi=10.3390%2fsu13147581&partnerID=40&md5=787d2a5bae4bc59991906be4d1ab20c40 v133 aThe aim of this article is to investigate the authenticity of Shaolin Temple and Chenjiagou Village in the context of intensified martial arts tourism and UNESCO documents. Desk research, structured interviews and participant observation were used to investigate the issue. The issue of cultural and natural heritage has become part of the modern image of a powerful new China. They particularly use these resources in cultural tourism, where boasting of heritage listed on UNESCO’s tangible and intangible heritage list is certainly an appropriate impression. The UNESCO intangible and tangible heritage list also includes objects related to martial arts tourism (Shaolin Temple, Chenjiagou Village). The article presents how Western (American, European) preferences and expectations are visible in the way of preserving and using these objects with an attempt to maintain UNESCO standards. It has been noticed that the added objects/events/shows are accepted by the Chinese as increasing the attractiveness of the place, even if they are not thematically and historically related to it. The authors checked whether a certain cultural compromise is possible or whether these places are a completely Westernized product, taking the form of theme parks or ethnoparks. For Western tourists, such phenomena are often synonymous with the commercialization and falsification of the authenticity of a place, which is why the role of cultural education is very important, both in China and in Western countries. a20711050 (ISSN)