This paper has been developed in the framework of a larger research program, in which the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, the University of Fuzhou and the Academy of Science of China are jointly involved to study how to preserve historic centers. Cultural heritage is the intangible and tangible attributes of a society, including the natural heritage that are inherited from past generations, preserved in the present and granted for the next generations. Nowadays we consider the cultural heritage as a world heritage belonging to all the people of the world, irrespective on which territory they are located. This paper presents a model and a methodological approach on how to conserve cultural heritage in a sustainable way, by showing the case study of the Earth Houses (tulou) of Fujian (China), one of the most interesting type of Chinese rural dwellings, that could become an example for other cultural sites around the world, connecting the environmental and socio-economical aspect to the tourism development. Copyright © 2011 IAHS.
