The impacts of tourism at a UNESCO heritage site in China – a need for a meta-narrative? The case of the Kaiping Diaolou

Abstract

In China, sites categorised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites are commonly used as a means of economic regeneration through tourism development. This study is of a recent addition to the list, the diaolou (fortified tower houses) of Kaiping, Guangdong, in South China. This rural zone, characterised by past emigration and farming, is in the early stages of tourism development. The study, based on interviews and a survey, permits findings to be compared with other rural areas in China such as Hungcun and the Tangyue Arches of Bao Village in Anhui, and thus while similarities in attitudes are found, in Kaiping differences exist whereby tourism has been found to permit entrepreneurial activities while retaining an agricultural base as the “new tourism rich” employ others to continue farming. The work is contextualised within a model of evolving literature related to tourism impacts on communities. The paper explores a range of issues in sustainable tourism, including the use of tourism as a tool for social, economic and cultural development, holistic approaches to heritage tourism, and the development of glocalisation as a response to globalisation. It discusses differences in approach to heritage tourism, cultural change and commodification between western and Chinese scholars and society.

旅游对中国的UNESCO遗产的影响 – 后现实主义的需要？以开平碉楼为例

在中国, 那些被列入为UNESCO世界遗产的景点通常被作为是通过旅游发展提高经济收入的有效手段。该研究是以最近被列入遗产名单的中国南部广东的开平碉楼（防护性质的塔楼）为例。该偏远地区是以过去的新移民和农业为主, 并正处在旅游发展的最初阶段。该研究是建立在采访和问卷调查, 结论和中国其他的偏远地区发展作为比较, 例如安徽的宏村和棠樾牌坊。通过对比发现在不同的地方人们对待旅游的态度有很多相似点, 但在开平研究发现旅游在维持以农业的基础的同时允许企业化活动的存在。在开平, 一些以旅游制富的人雇佣其他人来继续农耕活动。该研究课题是在许多关于旅游对社区产生的影响相关的文献基础上发展概念化的模型。文章探讨了可持续性旅游的一系列问题, 包括将旅游作为社会, 经济和文化发展的途径, 包括遗产旅游发展的全面性手段, 和对全球化发展的对策讨论。文章也讨论了西方和中国学者和社会间存在的对遗产旅游发展, 文化改变, 商业化问题的对策的不同性。

Keywords:

• China
• UNESCO
• tourism development
• destination planning
• tourism impacts

Keywords:

• 中国
• UNESCO
• 旅游发展
• 目的地规划
• 旅游影响

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the fund support from National Social Science Foundation of China (Project Code: 07CJY050) and to the undergraduate student Wang Jing and the interviewees.

Notes

1. A meta-narrative is a story about a story, encompassing and explaining other stories.