Between preserving Pakistani ‘traditions’ and creative adaptation Barelvi brotherhood and heritagisation of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas mausoleum in Guangzhou

Since the 1960s, cultural heritage has become central to Chinese political rhetoric, leading to the patrimonialisation of certain Muslim shrines once dismissed as ‘superstitions.’ Among these, the Mausoleum of Sa’d ibn Abi Waqqas was recognised as cultural heritage in 2013, framed as evidence of Islam’s historical introduction to China. This recognition, however, stems not only from official historiographical narratives but also from the presence of Muslim migrants, particularly Pakistanis linked to the Barelvi brotherhood. While local Muslims largely ignored the site in the 1990s, migrant Muslims revitalised its religious significance, reshaping it into a vibrant spiritual and cultural hub. Through an ethnographic focus on these migrants, this article examines the interplay between religious revival and patrimonialisation. It argues that heritage processes often intertwine secularisation with sacralisation, transforming sites into spaces of both cultural legitimacy and renewed spiritual meaning, driven by the layered interactions of local, national, and transnational actors.