Restoring the Living Culture of Local Buddhist Heritage in Luang Prabang

Abstract

Theravada Buddhism holds an important place among the residents of Luang Prabang, Laos. It is the source of a living culture in the UNESCO Heritage City with rapidly developing tourism. However, with the rise of urbanization and tourism, a large part of Luang Prabang’s population moved to the suburbs, while the center has been filled by commerce. Although the state has made unremitting efforts to protect the appearance of the ancient city, this change led to changes in the city’s organic social and cultural structure and seriously damaged the long-standing Buddhist rituals and Buddhist mentality of the local community. The decline of Buddhism in Luang Prabang, if no effective measures are taken to prevent it, will obviously lead to the decline of the city’s cultural life. Preserving and promoting cultural heritage towards sustainable development, as set out by UNDP in 2015 is currently the focus of the city’s tourism development; however, this policy is being applied and implemented unevenly. The replacement of Luang Prabang’s traditional population structure and the new immigrants’ lack of understanding of local Buddhist culture have put part of the city’s living culture at risk of being faded or lost. This study combines literature analysis with field investigation to discuss the current status of Buddhist life in Luang Prabang, especially the morning Tak-bat (alms round) rituals, explore the challenges faced by local Buddhist traditions in the context of demographic changes, and provide scientific and practical basis for better and systematic protection and promotion of the city’s authentic living culture.