Abstract: Since the 1960s, global cultural heritage conservation has gradually moved toward regional and holistic approaches. China has likewise entered a new stage of integrated protection for historical and cultural heritage. Although research on regional-scale heritage has developed steadily, the deeper intellectual sources and academic lineages underpinning this conservation concept still require systematic examination. This article reviews the ideological origins and theoretical evolution of regional-scale heritage conservation. It identifies three intellectual lineages: the exploration of "locality" in architecture and urban planning; the environmental movement and the rise of humanistic geography; and the "spatial turn" in historiography alongside the emergence of global history. It then explains three major theoretical shifts: from the separation of nature and culture toward their coordination, from the conservation of physical fabric toward the transmission of living heritage, and from Western-centered discourse toward mutual learning among regional civilizations. Drawing on China's current practice, the article analyzes key practical challenges and offers theoretical references and lines of reflection for the protection and transmission of heritage at the regional scale.