Reshaping Cultural Memory: The Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery as a Model for Cultural Regeneration in Memorial Spaces

Abstract

This paper examined how the Chinese Calligraphy Stone Gallery (CCS Gallery) functioned as a model for cultural regeneration in memorial spaces. Based on the-oretical perspectives on cultural memory and collective identity, the research stud-ied how space design was merged with the elite culture of literati calligraphy to rethink cultural stories and strengthens Chinese cultural confidence. Through em-bedding Confucian values intermingled with Taoist values within its architectural as well as landscape planning, the CCS Gallery not only conserved diachronic masterpiece calligraphies but reconstructed a lively collective memory among Ma-laysian Chinese too. A qualitative case study methodology including spatial anal-ysis, content analysis of stone inscriptions, as well as interviews with key players uncovered that the gallery's re-imagined memorial space constructs a Confucian merchant identity. The findings represented a template for heritage conservation as well as the rejuvenation of culture memory within multicultural urban setting.