‘it is my home. i will die here’: tourism development and the politics of place in lijiang, china

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Although “home” is an established topic in the literature, what home means for an in situ, non‐travelling population that nevertheless is confronted by the influx of great numbers of tourists and migrants is an important question that has not been widely researched. This article examines the construction and practice of home in a highly mobile world, in the case of Lijiang Ancient Town, a World Heritage site in Yunnan, China. Situating Lijiang in the context of China's emerging consumer society, this article has two objectives. First, I will sketch a conceptual framework within which to address the construction of home in relation to mobility, displacement and socioeconomic changes. The second objective is to examine the multiple ways in which Lijiang's town residents dwell in displacement. Even as Lijiang ancient town largely falls into the hands of migrant businesspersons, town residents employ spatial strategies to maintain a public–private boundary, reconcile themselves to living under the same roof with tourists, or forsake their homes for economic benefit. Hence, this article contributes to the geographies of everyday life by illustrating individuals' multiple forms of strategic rationalization in handling socio‐spatial transformation.

The role of self-gentrification in sustainable tourism: Indigenous entrepreneurship at Honghe Hani Rice Terraces World Heritage Site, China

“…Despite many examples of successful gentrification in touristic market towns in both China (Su, 2012;Xu & Han, 2013) and elsewhere (Smith, 2002, p. 439), this article argues that tourism gentrification would not be sustainable in the Honghe WHS because of the inter-connectedness of the local population and the rice terraces. The absence of the indigenous people caused by gentrification would likely result in degradation of the rice terraces, which are the main tourist attraction.…”

“…This article adopts a more inclusive definition of gentrification, applying the concept to study similar phenomena in non-urban settings such as rural (Phillips, 1993;Hines, 2010) and market towns (Ashworth & Tunbridge, 1990;Smith & DeFilippis, 1999;Su, 2012;Xu & Han, 2011). Hackworth (2002, p. 815) defines gentrification as "the production of space for progressively more affluent users" resulting in the gradual, indirect displacement of long-term residents.…”

“…Gentrification in Chinese cities is the result of urban development strategy to upgrade building stock and revitalise the economy, and occurs on a particularly intensive and large scale (He, 2010). The expulsion of original residents is also well organised and large-scale (He, 2010;Su, 2012;Zhao et al, 2009), with some being relocated to particularly distant areas.…”

“…In China, large-scale tourism gentrification, which happened in cities or market towns, was mostly led by government and big corporations and resulted in the extensive relocation of long-term residents away from the main tourism site to the peripheries (e.g. Su, 2012;Zhao et al, 2009). …”

“…This concept is especially useful for understanding situations where inmigration puts pressure on native groups, bringing about an increase in living costs and a change in use of land and limited housing stock. While the term "gentrification" was not literally used by the participants of this study, it has been widely applied to describe similar processes in China (du Cros, Bauer, Lo, & Rui, 2005;Gu & Ryan, 2012;Su, 2012;Qian, He, & Liu, 2013), and the authors believe it helpful in understanding phenomena occurring in Honghe WHS.…”