The Resilient Bond With Zhujiajiao: (Re)making Community in a Chinese Tourism Town

Abstract

This article examines how community has been reinterpreted and remade among local residents in relation to the development of tourism in Zhujiajiao, China. Focusing on the narratives and practices of long-term residents, it was found that people generally maintain a resilient bond with their community in Zhujiajiao despite profound local changes. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the article brings to light the complicated and contextual meanings of community that are constantly under negotiation. We argue that the notion of community is reconstructed through narratives of the past, everyday social interactions, and material connections between people and places. Meanwhile, the process of remaking Zhujiajiao community is shaped by cultural values and situated within wider structural conditions. In this way, the article contributes to debates on the analytical importance of relationality and sociality in the recent rethinking of community from a Chinese perspective. It also argues for the need to develop more nuanced understandings of community in contemporary China beyond viewing it as a form of urban governance by focusing on residents’ narratives and practices.

Interaction Rituals and Social Relationships in a Rural Tourism Destination

“…The uniting power of such symbols, which can be termed as traditional bonding, is strong among long-standing residents who are accustomed to and fully embrace the rural traditions. These findings concur with previous studies that emphasize the role of common cultural backgrounds (Huang and Stewart 1996) and shared narratives of the past (Cao and Wu 2020) in producing a resilient bond. A different conclusion is that most return migrants, who also have shared cultural roots in the rural community, tend to keep distance from the rural symbols.…”

“…In understanding the social impacts of tourism, it is conducive to approach and investigate community members’ everyday interactions, which are the foundation for relationship-building and community-making (Cao and Wu 2020). Thus, this sub-section overviews studies that examine interactions among residents in rural tourism destinations (Hwang, Stewart, and Ko 2012; Ooi, Laing, and Mair 2015).…”

“…This study addresses the how questions. In line with the rethinking of community as comprised of communing and bonding actions (Cao and Wu 2020), the study investigates the social impacts of tourism through residents' everyday interactions. It recognizes the heterogeneity of rural residents as a result of tourism and increased mobility, and examines how residents of diverse backgrounds participate in interactions and co-construct rural social relationships.…”

Mechanisms influencing spatiotemporal differentiation of tourist towns based on geographic detector: A case study of Fujian Province

“…With the development of tourism and the acceleration of urbanization, academic research on tourist towns has become increasingly in-depth and has achieved more systematic research findings. In terms of content, studies have primarily focused on planning and management [12,13], evaluation [14,15], community involvement [16][17][18], ecological environment [19][20][21][22], the coordinated development of urban construction and tourism [1,23], and sex secrecy and risk [24,25]. The few studies of the spatial distribution of tourist towns have primarily explored the characteristics of spatial distribution, influencing factors, and influencing mechanisms.…”

The Problems and Measures for Small Tourism Town Development in China: A Case Study of Wan Town

“…In a word, small tourist towns are the result of the interaction between urbanization and tourism in the new period [12,13] . Driven by the development of cultural towns, the development of new towns, the protection of scenic area resources and the development of tourism real estate and other forces [14] . The small tourism town has developed rapidly, and has gradually become an important carrier of village tourism.…”