Hokkien Chinese diaspora visitors’ image construction of their ancestral hometown: the role of the tourist gaze

ABSTRACT

This study examines how diaspora tourists’ secondary and primary image of their ancestral home is constructed and how the tourist gaze is implied within. The study focuses on the Hokkien Chinese diaspora travelling to their ancestral hometown of Quanzhou, China. 58 foreign-born Hokkien Chinese participants were interviewed. A thematic analysis of the transcripts revealed the significant influence of the collective and romantic gaze in forming both secondary and primary images of Quanzhou. Visiting Quanzhou emerges as a strategy for survival, maintaining cultural connectivity and fostering transnational mobility. The significance of homecoming visits organised by families and diaspora organisations as catalysts for cultural, educational, social, and business mobility are discussed, highlighting the importance of incorporating the diaspora's transnational experiences into heritage tourism studies. Insights into how the Hokkien Chinese diaspora’s cultural heritage and transnational connections to their host communities in Quanzhou are essential in constructing the diasporic destination image are provided.

KEYWORDS:

• Hokkien Chinese diaspora
• collective gaze
• romantic gaze
• transnational mobility
• trade diaspora
• heritage tourism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Quanzhou Federation of Social Science Circles (QZFSSC) (grant number 2023D22).

Notes on contributors

Qiang Wang

Qiang Wang received his Ph.D. in International Tourism Management at the City University of Macau. He is an associate professor at Liming University (China) and a consultant expert of UNESCO Silk Road Project. He is an author of books and papers in the fields of Asian maritime history and Hokkien Heritage diaspora study.

Alexandra Witte

Alexandra Witte is a Lecturer in Sustainable and Natural Area Tourism at The Business School of Edinburgh Napier University. She focuses on tourism mobilities, natural and cultural heritage, and sustainable and regenerative tourism.